LOS ANGELES (AP) — As Hollywood reels from the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, the industry came together to anoint this year’s crop of Oscar nominees. Coming out on top: the Netflix narco-musical “Emilia Pérez,” closely followed by “Wicked,” the lavish Broadway adaptation, and the post-war epic “The Brutalist.”
The 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will air on ABC on March 2, from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Here are reactions from some of the day’s notable nominees:
Mikey Madison for “Anora”
“I always dreamed of something like this, but it never felt like it would ever be a reality for me. I just love filmmaking. I love movies. It’s one of the biggest loves of my life and the thing that makes me happy …. I’m a Los Angeles native and so there’s been so much devastation these past few weeks and my heart breaks for LA, but it’s really beautiful to see Hollywood coming together and celebrating film right now, it is really beautiful.
“Anora” has changed my life. There are doors that are open that were closed for a decade plus, and it’s really because of Sean (Baker) uplifting me as an actress and giving me this incredible character to play, that no one had ever really given me before, and so I really owe a lot to him and his trust in me as an artist. It’s really reinvigorated my love for cinema and acting and filmmaking and it’s changed a lot of things.” — Madison, nominated for best actress, spoke from her hotel room bed in New York, where she watched the nominations while FaceTiming her mother (they both screamed at the news.)
Monica Barbaro for “A Complete Unknown”
“My phone started blowing up, and I just like I fell on the floor and couldn’t believe it. It’s completely surreal. The supporting actress category is full of some of my favorite actresses. It was unbelievable to be put on a shortlist, let alone, now this. I kind of can’t believe it.” —- Barbaro learned about her supporting actress nomination while in London during a costume fitting for a new project.
Jeremy Strong for “The Apprentice”
“On a level of artistry, today, for me personally, is an incredible day and I feel very happy. And I have complicated feelings about the character (Donald Trump mentor Roy Cohn) I played. It was the role of a lifetime, and at the same time his legacy is real and it’s playing out in situ in front of our eyes in very frightening ways. … I hope today’s recognition is a catalyst to rerelease this film. It suffered from and was handicapped by a lack of release because none of the studios or streamers would touch it. But I do think the movie offers tremendous insight into how we got to where we are today. — Strong, nominated for best supporting actor, spoke from his home in Brooklyn, where he said he learned of his nomination from his young daughter knocking on the door.
Yura Borisov for “Anora”
“I was inside my car with my daughters and wife, and my nomination was first and my name was first. And after that … screaming and crying. (It was) a very emotional moment, I can say, for everybody. (”Anora” is about) connection between people. Between mentalities and nationalities and cultures. … Of course, it’s not easy I know, and everybody knows, but it’s possible. And during this shoot I (felt) that we are different but at the same time we were absolutely similar. And so, for me, it’s about connection between souls and it’s possible.” — Borisov, nominated for best supporting actor, spoke in an interview from Moscow.
Zoe Saldaña for “Emilia Pérez”
“I don’t think I can properly express the deep levels of gratitude and joy I feel for the recognition Emilia Pérez has been given … I’m especially grateful to Karla, whose bravery and talent brought so much depth and authenticity to Emilia. It’s a bittersweet moment as our community in Los Angeles is processing the heartbreaking losses from the ongoing fires — homes, schools, businesses and entire neighborhoods. My heart is with all those affected and I’m sending endless love and appreciation to our fearless first responders and everyone working to help rebuild our city.” — Saldaña, nominated for best supporting actress, in a statement.
Coralie Fargeat for “The Substance”
“(Star Demi Moore) came on this movie taking a lot of risks. You know, this movie was, for sure challenging. … She reacted to the fact that it could be something very special, but also performance-wise, it gave her the space to really create a performance that could, you know, make a difference and make an impact. And of course, the subject of the film, you know, says so much. I think we both love what the movie’s about in different ways. We didn’t need to talk about what the film is about. It was like five minutes, and we knew we were on the on the same page.” — Fargeat, nominated for best director, spoke in an interview from Paris.
RaMell Ross for “Nickel Boys”
“I think we’ll all still in shock. Everyone’s like: ‘Congratulations! We did it? Did we do it? Is this done? Is this it? What’s next? What should we do?’ This film elicits a super objective response. It forces someone to speak their mind. … And hopefully there’s more, too. This film is a film that needs discourse. It’s a film that’s built for discourse. The film is itself a discourse amongst itself. I can’t wait to do it more.” — Director and co-writer Ross, nominated for best adapted screenplay, spoke in an interview from Providence, Rhode Island.
James Mangold for “A Complete Unknown”
I was thrilled … particularly for our actors and the rest of our team. This group has been assembled to make this movie for over five years, and through the pandemic and strikes and and schedule challenges, we’ve all hung together and become great friends as well as collaborators, and so the greatest thing I feel is just such joy seeing so many of my partners getting acknowledged for their incredible work, not the least of which was Timothée Chalamet who put in a tremendous effort preparing to play Bob Dylan. .. In movies like this, which don’t feature alternate worlds and galaxies, the special effect is the acting. Everything rides on on the performances being timeless and unforgettable and unique achievements, and I think across the board … the performances in my movie are something I’m profoundly proud of.” — Mangold, nominated for best director, spoke in an interview from Los Angeles.
Diane Warren for “The Six Triple Eight”
“The fact that I get another shot (after 15 previous Oscar nods), you know, is awesome. I love it. It’s like the losing team that’s getting sent back. I don’t know anything about sports and stuff, but I guess (it’s) like a Super Bowl, like a team that, you know, loses for decades. People root for them. I have an honorary Oscar sitting right over there. He gets very lonely.” — Warren, nominated for best original song for “The Journey,” her 16th nomination, spoke in an interview from Los Angeles.
John Powell for “Wicked”
“I quite happily slept in this morning and got a call from my agent, and I was like, ‘What the hell is she calling me for? What could be that urgent? … I do like to work on things with joy. I think that’s why I do a lot of animation. They tend to be more joyful. And a lot of live action tend to be kind of dark. And obviously there’s a wonderful place for that in cinema. But finding something that had this much fun in it was kind of a special thing for me.” — Powell, nominated for original score, spoke in an interview from Los Angeles. He evacuated his home and studio in the Palisades following the wildfires and cannot yet return.
Isabella Rossellini for “Conclave”
“When I was young, I was always identified as the daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini. As I’ve gotten older, this doesn’t happen as frequently … I wish my parents were alive to celebrate with me this great honor. And, also, today, with this joy, my mind can’t help lingering in the beyond to David Lynch. Our collaboration was key to my understanding of the art of acting. It is my past, all that I have in me, that I brought to my interpretation of Sister Agnes in the film ‘Conclave,’ working under the clear, sharp direction of Edward Berger (and) his incredible cast and crew, especially the incomparable Ralph Fiennes. — Rossellini, nominated for best supporting actress, in a statement.
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Interviews were conducted by Associated Press Entertainment Writers Jake Coyle, Jonathan Landrum, Brooke Lefferts, Jocelyn Noveck and Maria Sherman.
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For more coverage of this year’s Oscars, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards
