<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



“Emilia Pérez” star Selena Gomez, billionaire media mogul Oprah Winfrey and Oscar winner Halle Berry are among the stars slated to present at the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday evening, though Harrison Ford is no longer slated to present after receiving a&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/harrison-ford-no-longer-presenting-oscars-1236324484/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">shingles</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/harrison-ford-isnt-presenting-2025-oscars-shingles-diagnosis-1236151499/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">diagnosis</a>&nbsp;Friday.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



In keeping with Oscars tradition, the four&nbsp;<a href="https://press.oscars.org/news/oscarr-winners-robert-downey-jr-cillian-murphy-davine-joy-randolph-and-emma-stone-return" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">acting winners</a>&nbsp;from last year’s ceremony—Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Robert Downey Jr.—will all return to the Dolby Theatre stage to present this year.



Stars from some of this year’s nominated movies will present, including Selena Gomez (“Emilia Pérez”), Margaret Qualley (“The Substance”), Lily-Rose Depp (“Nosferatu”), Elle Fanning (“A Complete Unknown”), Joe Alwyn (“The Brutalist”) and Bowen Yang (“Wicked”)—as well as Zoe Saldaña, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for “Emilia Pérez.”



Past Oscar winners and nominees who are set to present include Halle Berry, Ana de Armas, Penélope Cruz, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Goldie Hawn, Sterling K. Brown, Andrew Garfield, Samuel L. Jackson and billionaire Oprah Winfrey.



Other celebrities who will present include Willem Dafoe, Ben Stiller, Amy Poehler, June Squibb, Connie Nielsen, Gal Gadot, Dave Bautista, Alba Rohrwacher and Rachel Zegler.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-will-the-oscars-use-the-fab-5-presentations-this-year">Will The Oscars Use The “fab 5” Presentations This Year?</h2>



Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/oscars-remove-original-song-performances-1236282452/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">announced</a>&nbsp;last month the “Fab 5” presentation—in which five previous Oscar winners honor each nominee in a given category one-by-one before presenting the award—would return for this year’s ceremony, though they did not specify which categories they would be for. The “Fab 5” presentation was used last year in the acting categories, in which previous winners, including Best Actress winners Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron, Sally Field, Michelle Yeoh and Jessica Lange gave tributes to nominees Lily Gladstone, Annette Bening, Emma Stone, Sanda Hüller and Carey Mulligan, respectively.&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/netflix-emilia-perez-oscar-campaign-karla-sofia-gascon-scandal-1236296776/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Variety reported</a>, citing anonymous sources, the “Fab 5” presentations will not be used in acting categories this year, and that the Academy made this decision before Best Actress nominee Karla Sofía Gascón&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/02/05/emilia-prez-director-disavows-karla-sofa-gascns-tweets-and-slams-actress-for-playing-the-victim-all-the-films-controversies-explained/">ignited controversy</a>&nbsp;over resurfaced tweets in which she made disparaging remarks about Islam, diversity at the Oscars and George Floyd. Variety reported the “Fab 5” presentation will instead be used in the Best Director category and several other unspecified categories.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-are-the-oscars">When Are The Oscars?</h2>



The Academy Awards will air at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST on Sunday, March 2. The ceremony will broadcast live on ABC and will stream live on Hulu for the first time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-who-is-nominated-at-the-oscars">Who Is Nominated At The Oscars?</h2>



“Emilia Pérez,” a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/02/05/emilia-prez-director-disavows-karla-sofa-gascns-tweets-and-slams-actress-for-playing-the-victim-all-the-films-controversies-explained/">controversial</a>&nbsp;musical about a Mexican cartel leader who undergoes a gender transition, leads the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/01/23/oscar-nominations-2025-announced-emilia-prez-leads-with-13-nods-the-brutalist-and-wicked-get-10/">nomination tally</a>&nbsp;with 13 total. “Wicked” and “The Brutalist” follow with 10 each. Those three films, as well as “Anora,” “Conclave,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Dune: Part Two,” “I’m Still Here,” “Nickel Boys” and “The Substance,” are nominated for Best Picture, the ceremony’s biggest prize.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">Further Reading</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/01/23/oscar-nominations-2025-announced-emilia-prez-leads-with-13-nods-the-brutalist-and-wicked-get-10/">Oscar Nominations 2025 Announced: ‘Emilia Pérez’ Leads With 13 Nods, ‘The Brutalist’ And ‘Wicked’ Get 10</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2024/11/15/conan-obrien-will-host-2025-oscars-heres-why-that-might-mean-fewer-trump-jokes/">Conan O’Brien Will Host 2025 Oscars—Here’s Why That Might Mean Fewer Trump Jokes</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://sync.graph.bluecava.com/ds.png?p=4cb3430d-9dfd-11ef-a5fe-4201ac100015&amp;segment=forbeseval" alt=""/></figure>

31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards – Show

Who’s Presenting At The Oscars? Harrison Ford Drops Out—As Selena Gomez, Oprah Winfrey And More Will Reveal Academy Award Winners

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



The Oscars are adding a new award in 2026—the Academy Award for Achievement in Casting— marking the first new category added to the movie awards show since 2001.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



The award, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/coming-2026-oscars-add-academy-award-casting-directors-107068249#:~:text=%E2%80%9CCasting%20directors%20play%20an%20essential,said%20in%20a%20joint%20statement." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">multiple</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://deadline.com/2024/02/motion-picture-academy-creates-casting-category-first-new-competitive-oscar-since-2001-1235819319/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a>, will make its debut at the 98th Academy Awards in 2026, when movies from 2025 will be eligible for the recognition, the Academy said in a statement to the Associated Press and other outlets.



The creation of the award is a win for the Academy Casting Directors branch, which was created in 2013 and currently has nearly 160 members,&nbsp;<a href="https://deadline.com/2024/02/motion-picture-academy-creates-casting-category-first-new-competitive-oscar-since-2001-1235819319/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Deadline</a>&nbsp;reported.



The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film was the last award added to the awards show, debuting in 2001.



Eligibility rules and voting for the casting award will be issued in 2025.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Awards for casting have been given out by several other arts organizations including the Emmys, Spirits and the BAFTAs. Carmen Cuba, the casting director of shows like “Stranger Things” and “Mr. &amp; Mrs. Smith,” has been vocal about the need for a casting category at the Oscars. In a 2021 interview with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2021-04-06/casting-directors-call-to-be-included-in-the-oscars" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Los Angeles Times</a>, Cuba said casting directors are the first people hired and are dealt full plates of work when kicking off a movie or TV show. “If 23 categories are eligible, we should be too,” she told the Times. The power of casting was well on display for this year’s Best Picture nominees. Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” was lauded for its expansive and talented cast, boasting the likes of Best Actor nominee Cillian Murphy, Best Supporting Actor nominee Robert Downey Jr. and Best Supporting Actress nominee Emily Blunt.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2021-04-06/casting-directors-call-to-be-included-in-the-oscars" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Casting directors call to be included in the Oscars</a> (Los Angeles Times)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2024/01/22/oscars-2024-these-are-the-most-hotly-contested-categories-with-oppenheimer-expected-to-lead/?sh=845c41245ad7">Oscars 2024: These Are The Most Hotly Contested Categories—With ‘Oppenheimer’ Expected To Lead</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)

96th Oscars Nominations Announcement

Oscars Introduces First New Category In Decades: Best Casting

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



Awards season came to an end Sunday with the Academy Awards, where movies CODA, Dune and Encanto and actors Troy Kostur, Ariana DeBose and Will Smith won some of the most prestigious film industry honors—but a violent outburst by Smith <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/03/27/shocking-oscar-moment-will-smith-smacks-chris-rock-in-the-face-during-oscars-after-joke-about-wife-jada-pinkett-smith/?sh=26bbab6d65f0">overshadowed the show</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



CODA&nbsp;won three awards, including Best Picture, Actor in a Supporting Role and Adapted Screenplay.



The night’s winners took a back seat to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/03/27/shocking-oscar-moment-will-smith-smacks-chris-rock-in-the-face-during-oscars-after-joke-about-wife-jada-pinkett-smith/?sh=4b16862b65f0">an incident</a>&nbsp;involving Will Smith and Chris Rock, in which Smith punched Rock in the face and yelled at Rock for joking about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.



The Power Of The Dog&nbsp;was the most-nominated film this year with 12 nods, though it only won one, and&nbsp;Dune&nbsp;took home six trophies and was the winningest title of the ceremony.



The ceremony was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/02/15/wanda-sykes-regina-hall-and-amy-schumer-hosting-2022-oscars/">hosted</a>&nbsp;by Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes, in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/01/11/oscars-will-have-a-host-for-the-first-time-in-three-years-who-will-it-be/?sh=7ac8ac1a7392">first time</a>&nbsp;in three years the show has had a host.



This year’s production was not without controversy: Eight behind-the-scenes awards will be given out ahead of time and later “folded into” the live broadcast, a move that was widely criticized by many in the film industry (Read more&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/03/21/largest-hollywood-union-is-latest-group-to-criticize-oscars-for-sidelining-some-awards/?sh=69c58dcc1380">here</a>).



Most frontrunners took home trophies, including Smith for best actor for&nbsp;King Richard, Ariana DeBose for best supporting actress in&nbsp;West Side Story&nbsp;and Troy Kostur for Best Supporting Actor in&nbsp;CODA, Jane Campion for Best Director for&nbsp;The Power Of The Dog&nbsp;and&nbsp;Encanto&nbsp;for Best Animated Film, who all won awards in the lead up to the Oscars.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">NOMINEES</h2>



Best Picture:&nbsp;Belfast,&nbsp;WINNER:&nbsp;CODA,&nbsp;Don’t Look Up,&nbsp;Drive My Car,&nbsp;Dune,&nbsp;King Richard,&nbsp;Licorice Pizza,&nbsp;Nightmare Alley,&nbsp;The Power Of The Dog,&nbsp;West Side Story



Actor in a Leading Role:&nbsp;Javier Bardem,&nbsp;Being The Ricardos, Benedict Cumberbatch,&nbsp;The Power Of The Dog, Andrew Garfield,&nbsp;Tick, Tick&#8230;Boom!,&nbsp;WINNER: Will Smith,&nbsp;King Richard, Denzel Washington,&nbsp;The Tragedy Of Macbeth



Actress in a Leading Role: WINNER: Jessica Chastain,&nbsp;The Eyes Of Tammy Faye,&nbsp;Olivia Colman,&nbsp;The Lost Daughter, Penelope Cruz,&nbsp;Parallel Mothers, Nicole Kidman,&nbsp;Being The Ricardos, Kristin Stewart,&nbsp;Spencer



Actor in a Supporting Role:&nbsp;Ciran Hinds,&nbsp;Belfast,&nbsp;WINNER: Troy Kostur,&nbsp;CODA, Jesse Plemons,&nbsp;The Power Of The Dog, J.K. Simons,&nbsp;Being The Ricardos, Kodi Smit McPhee,&nbsp;The Power Of The Dog



Actress in a Supporting Role:&nbsp;Jessie Buckley,&nbsp;The Lost Daughter,&nbsp;WINNER: Ariana DeBose,&nbsp;West Side Story, Judi Dench,&nbsp;Belfast, Kirsten Dunst,&nbsp;The Power Of The Dog, Aunjanue Ellis,&nbsp;King Richard



Animated Feature Film: WINNER:&nbsp;Encanto, Flee, Luca, The Mitchells Vs. The Machines, Raya And The Last Dragon



Cinematography: WINNER:&nbsp;Dune, Nightmare Alley, The Power Of The Dog, The Tragedy Of Macbeth, West Side Story



Costume Design:&nbsp;WINNER:&nbsp;Cruella, Cyrano, Dune, Nightmare Alley, West Side Story



Directing:&nbsp;Kenneth Branagh,&nbsp;Belfast, Ryusuke Hamaguchi,&nbsp;Drive My Car, Paul Thomas Anderson,&nbsp;Licorice Pizza,&nbsp;WINNER: Jane Campion,&nbsp;The Power Of The Dog, Steven Spielberg,&nbsp;West Side Story



Documentary (Feature):&nbsp;Ascension, Attica, Flee,&nbsp;WINNER:&nbsp;Summer Of Soul (&#8230;Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Writing With Fire



Documentary (Short Subject):&nbsp;Audible, Lead Me Home,&nbsp;WINNER:&nbsp;The Queen Of Basketball, Three Songs For Benazir, When We Were Bullies



Film Editing:&nbsp;Don’t Look Up,&nbsp;WINNER:&nbsp;Dune, King Richard, The Power Of The Dog, Tick, Tick&#8230;Boom!



International Feature Film: WINNER:&nbsp;Drive My Car&nbsp;(Japan),&nbsp;Flee&nbsp;(Denmark),&nbsp;The Hand Of God&nbsp;(Italy),&nbsp;Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom&nbsp;(Bhutan),&nbsp;The Worst Person In The World&nbsp;(Norway)



Makeup and Hair Styling:&nbsp;Coming 2 America, Cruella, Dune,&nbsp;WINNER:&nbsp;The Eyes Of Tammy Faye, House Of Gucci



Music (Original Score):&nbsp;Don’t Look Up,&nbsp;WINNER:&nbsp;Dune,&nbsp;Encanto,&nbsp;Parallel Mothers,&nbsp;The Power Of The Dog



Music (Original Song):&nbsp;”Be Alive,”&nbsp;King Richard, “Dos Oruguitas,”&nbsp;Encanto, “Down To Joy,”&nbsp;Belfast,&nbsp;WINNER: “No Time To Die,”&nbsp;No Time To Die, “Somehow You Do,”&nbsp;Four Good Days



Production Design:&nbsp;WINNER:&nbsp;Dune, Nightmare Alley, The Power Of The Dog, The Tragedy Of Macbeth, West Side Story



Short Film (Animated):&nbsp;Affairs Of The Art, Bestia, BoxBallet, Robin Robin,&nbsp;WINNER:&nbsp;The Windshield Wiper



Short Film (Live Action):&nbsp;Ala Kachuu– Take And Run,&nbsp;The Dress,&nbsp;WINNER:&nbsp;The Long Goodbye, On My Mind, Please Hold



Sound:&nbsp;Belfast,&nbsp;WINNER:&nbsp;Dune, No Time To Die, The Power Of The Dog, West Side Story



Visual Effects: WINNER:&nbsp;Dune, Free Guy, No Time To Die, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, SpiderMan: No Way Home



Writing (Adapted Screenplay):&nbsp;WINNER:&nbsp;CODA,&nbsp;Drive My Car, Dune,&nbsp;The Lost Daughter,&nbsp;The Power Of The Dog



Writing (Original Screenplay):&nbsp;WINNER:&nbsp;Belfast,&nbsp;Don’t Look Up,&nbsp;King Richard,&nbsp;Licorice Pizza,&nbsp;The Worst Person In The World



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



The Power Of The Dog&nbsp;won Best Picture awards at the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards and the BAFTAs. Director Jane Campion has won for best directing several times.&nbsp;CODA&nbsp;became a surprise challenger after its wins at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Producers Guild Awards, which is known for being a reliable predictor of Best Picture winners.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



Beyonce and Billie Eilish vied to become first-time Oscar winners–both singers were nominated in the Best Original Song category, though Eilish and her brother Finneas took home the prize. Lin-Manuel Miranda, nominated for Best Original Song for&nbsp;Encanto,&nbsp;could have join the handful of entertainers who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award, though Eilish beat him. Will Smith and Jessica Chastain, who had both been nominated before, won their first Oscars.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/03/21/oscars-2022-race-writers-producers-guild-awards-fuel-coda-momentum/?sh=277a76ed9e5e">Oscars 2022 Race: Writers, Producers Guild Awards Fuel ‘Coda’ Momentum</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/02/08/oscars-nominations-live-the-power-of-the-dog-lead-with-12/?sh=1b117392dcf0">Oscars Nominations Live: ‘The Power Of The Dog’ Leads With 12</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/02/08/oscars-2022-nominations-the-biggest-snubs-and-surprises/?sh=324fba965d62">Oscars 2022 Nominations: The Biggest Snubs And Surprises</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/03/21/largest-hollywood-union-is-latest-group-to-criticize-oscars-for-sidelining-some-awards/?sh=69c58dcc1380">Largest Hollywood Union Is Latest Group To Criticize Oscars For Sidelining Some Awards</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/03/09/hollywood-a-listers-push-academy-to-reverse-decision-to-not-televise-all-oscar-awards/?sh=6cd6d0d22791">Hollywood A-Listers Push Academy To Reverse Decision To Not Televise All Oscar Awards</a> (Forbes)



By <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/"></a>Marisa Dellatto, Forbes Staff



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/"></a>

Green Circle Social Media Platforms Mind Map (2)

Oscars 2022: ‘CODA,’ Takes Best Picture—But Will Smith’s Slap Overshadows Academy Awards

TOPLINE The abrupt ending to the Oscars, which saw the late Chadwick Boseman—the favorite to win the Best Actor prize—&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2021/04/25/chadwick-boseman-snubbed-for-best-actor-oscar/?sh=3e94f2076de6">lose out</a>&nbsp;to Anthony Hopkins, has drawn confused and angry reactions from viewers on social media in what is the latest instance of an Academy Awards ceremony failing to pull off a satisfying ending.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1314484181-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-50966" width="436" height="654" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1314484181-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1314484181-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1314484181-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1314484181-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1314484181-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1314484181-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 436px) 100vw, 436px" /><figcaption>LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 25: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) In this handout photo provided by A.M.P.A.S., a general view of the trophies during the 93rd Annual Academy Awards at Union Station on April 25, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Troy Harvey/A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The decision by the Oscars producers to switch the traditional order of the awards—choosing to end with the Best Actress and Best Actor prize instead of the Best Picture—had raised hopes for a memorable posthumous win for Boseman to close out the show.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>However, Boseman’s performance in&nbsp;Ma Rainey&#8217;s Black Bottom&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2021/04/25/chadwick-boseman-snubbed-for-best-actor-oscar/?sh=3e94f2076de6">lost out</a>&nbsp;to Hopkins’ role in&nbsp;The Father.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>As Hopkins was not in attendance to accept the award, the ceremony ended abruptly after his name was announced, prompting confusion among viewers on Twitter who compared it to other botched finales, like ones from&nbsp;The Sopranos&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/JoyAnnReid/status/1386520116016320513" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Game Of Thrones</a>.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>It’s unclear if Steven Soderbergh, who produced this year’s awards, made the decision to switch the order of things expecting an emotional win for Boseman—who had won the top prize at this year’s Golden Globes and SAG Awards.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Viewers on Twitter were&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/mikeryan/status/1386519697412214787" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">annoyed</a>&nbsp;that the ceremony failed to deliver after it seemed like things were building up to a memorable win for Boseman, and many also&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/davidehrlich/status/1386520238095749129" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">slammed</a>&nbsp;the snafu for taking away from Hopkins’ big moment as well.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>If things had played out in the traditional order, the show would have ended with Chloé Zhao’s&nbsp;Nomadland&nbsp;winning Best Picture, which many&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/leestorrow/status/1386520909222195208" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">argued</a>&nbsp;would have been a more historic and celebratory moment.</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h3>



Chloé Zhao won the Oscar for Best Director&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2021/04/25/chlo-zhao-becomes-first-woman-of-color-to-win-best-director-oscar/?sh=3231e9605a40">becoming</a>&nbsp;only the second woman to win the category in 93 years, and the first woman of color to do so.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



Sunday’s botched ending to the ceremony has drawn comparisons to the 89th Academy Awards, where presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty incorrectly announced that&nbsp;La La Land&nbsp;had won the Best Picture awards. The mistake was fixed several minutes later—after&nbsp;La La Land’s cast and crew had come up to the stage, and a few of them had already delivered their speeches. The film&nbsp;Moonlight&nbsp;was then announced as the actual winner. Apart from the controversial final award, Sunday’s ceremony was swept by Chloe Zhao’s&nbsp;Nomadland, which won the Best Picture prize, along with Zhao winning Best Director and Frances McDormand winning Best Actress for her role in the film.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h3>



Things weren’t entirely gloomy on social media, as Glenn Close won instant accolades for immediately recognizing the dance single “Da Butt” and doing a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/laceygilleran/status/1386512616256901123" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">little jig</a>&nbsp;to it during the ceremony. In a skit during the ceremony, comedian Lil Rel Howery walked around asking a few actors to identify Oscar-nominated songs. When Howery walked up to Close, DJ Questlove played 1988’s “Da Butt” by the Washington D.C. go-go band Experience Unlimited. The song had been featured in one of Spike Lee’s early films,&nbsp;School Daze, a musical set at a fictional historically Black university. Close seemed to recognize the song instantly, and followed it up by&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/laceygilleran/status/1386512616256901123" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">twerking</a>&nbsp;to the song. The&nbsp;Los Angeles Times&nbsp;has since&nbsp;<a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-04-25/oscars-2021-glenn-close-da-butt-dance" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">confirmed</a>&nbsp;that the moment was scripted for laughs. But it seems to have done its trick and has garnered near-universal approval on social media.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2021/04/25/chadwick-boseman-snubbed-for-best-actor-oscar/?sh=3e94f2076de6">Chadwick Boseman Loses Best Actor Oscar To Anthony Hopkins</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2021/04/25/chlo-zhao-becomes-first-woman-of-color-to-win-best-director-oscar/?sh=3231e9605a40">Chloé Zhao Becomes First Woman Of Color To Win Best Director Oscar</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dawnchmielewski/2021/04/26/netflix-once-again-loses-out-in-best-picture-sweepstakes/?sh=78a2982842eb">Netflix Once Again Loses Out In Best Picture Sweepstakes</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dawnchmielewski/2021/04/25/oscars-2021-the-live-winners-list/?sh=128f9bcb9e23">Oscars 2021: The Full Winners List</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



By <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/">Siladitya Ray</a>, Forbes Staff

91st Annual Academy Awards – Arrivals

Oscars 2021: Switched Ending And Surprise Chadwick Boseman Loss Prompts Confusion And Anger

The five top-earning Oscar nominated actors earned a combined $41 million over the past 12 months—less than half the $87.5 million the Rock made last year as the world’s highest-paid actor.



Make art or make money — that’s been the conundrum for A-list actors going back to the days of the first talkies. And unlike the tumult that has rocked the movie business in the past year, that is one Hollywood tradition that has remained entrenched and unmovable.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The five top-earning Oscar nominated actors this year made a combined $41 million over the past 12 months—less than half of the $87.5 million&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2020/08/11/the-highest-paid-actors-of-2020-dwayne-johnson-ryan-reynolds/?sh=2daa50ec112b">the highest-paid actor</a>&nbsp;Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) earned last year. Only one of them, Viola Davis, made last year’s lists of top-earning actors or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2020/10/02/the-highest-paid-actresses-2020-small-screen-stars-like-sofia-vergara-ellen-pompeo-and-elisabeth-moss-shine/">actresses</a>, and it was thanks to her television role on&nbsp;How To Get Away With Murder, not her nominated starturn in&nbsp;Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.



“In a world where accomplished performers have decent choices, the material and the talented director often mean more than the money,” says Ken Ziffren, a partner at leading entertainment law firm Ziffren Brittenham. “To get nominated, even though they may not win, by SAG or for the Oscars, can also materially improve economics in the future.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



The top-earning Oscar contender, Sacha Baron Cohen, illustrates the dichotomy between the popular and the films deemed award-worthy. He is nominated for two Academy Awards on Sunday night: One for his role as political activist Abbie Hoffman in the drama The Trial of the Chicago 7, andthe other for writing the adapted screenplay for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, a sequel to the hit 2006 comedy, Borat, which Amazon acquired for $80 million. 



The statuettes he’s up for may look the same, but the money he made doing the two films couldn’t be more different: He earned about $20 million for&nbsp;Borat —&nbsp;twenty times the $1 million he received for&nbsp;Trial.&nbsp;The yawning pay discrepancy illustrates the choice that industry players have had to make for decades: do a big-budget blockbuster for fat cash or a prestige film for acclaim and, less cynically, the love of the craft. In rare cases, as with&nbsp;Borat, the two can overlap, but more often than not, the performers vying for an Oscar aren’t taking those roles for the money.



That said, an Oscar win is often the right mix of publicity and validation to help increase future earnings potential. Take Angelina Jolie, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2020/10/02/the-highest-paid-actresses-2020-small-screen-stars-like-sofia-vergara-ellen-pompeo-and-elisabeth-moss-shine/">the world’s second highest-paid actress</a>&nbsp;last year with $35.5 million in earnings. Prior to her Academy Award-winning performance in&nbsp;Girl, Interrupted, Jolie had mainly acted in independent films that failed to garner a wide audience—or big paychecks. Her supporting actress win in 1999 changed her fortunes: She landed the titular character in the 2001 video-game inspired adventure film&nbsp;Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.&nbsp;By 2004, she was commanding $10 million per role, plus backend, for big budget flicks, and that number has only gone up since.&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;estimates she received $20 million for her recent starturn in&nbsp;Maleficent 2.&nbsp;More recently, 20016 Oscar winner Brie Larson moved on from smaller budget fare to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Captain Marvel. Her first starturn as the superhero, 2019’s&nbsp;Captain Marvel, was the first female-led superhero film to gross over $1 billion at the box office.&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;estimates she made more than $10 million in total for the film.&nbsp;



Here’s a look at this year’s Oscar paydays:



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-5-daniel-kaluuya-3-million">#5 | Daniel Kaluuya: $3 million</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1313212178-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-50907" width="622" height="349" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1313212178-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1313212178-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1313212178-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1313212178-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1313212178-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 622px) 100vw, 622px" /><figcaption> (Photo by GALECA.org/via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



After earning his first Oscar nomination in 2018 for starring in Get Out, Kaluuya is the favorite to win the award for best supporting actor this year for his role in Judas and the Black Messiah. While he and co-star LaKeith Stanfield earned the same amount of money for their work on the project, Kaluuya collected an extra check for an XBox ad based on his Get Out role.



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-4-glenn-close-4-5-million">#4 | Glenn Close: $4.5 million</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1310835879-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-50908" width="690" height="388" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1310835879-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1310835879-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1310835879-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1310835879-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1310835879-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 690px) 100vw, 690px" /><figcaption>. (Photo by 27th Annual SAG Awards/Getty Images for WarnerMedia)</figcaption></figure></div>



While Hillbilly Elegy may have failed to be a critical favorite as Netflix hoped, one of the film’s stars, Glenn Close, still got her Oscar nomination. Fees for the eight-time Oscar nominee and her co-star Amy Adams likely commanded about 10% of the film’s $45 million budget. Indie flick Four Good Days also contributed to her payday.



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-3-chadwick-boseman-5-million">#3 | Chadwick Boseman: $5 million</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/GettyImages-915935210-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-47417" width="741" height="494" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/GettyImages-915935210-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/GettyImages-915935210-scaled-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/GettyImages-915935210-scaled-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/GettyImages-915935210-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/GettyImages-915935210-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/GettyImages-915935210-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 741px) 100vw, 741px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney)</figcaption></figure></div>



The late star, who died in August 2020 from colon cancer at age 43, worked until his final days and was nominated for his portrayal of Levee, an ambitious horn player in Ma Rainney’s Black Bottom, which was released posthumously. A certified commercial star after his role as T’Challa in Black Panther, this is his first Academy Award nomination. Boseman also collected a check for a supporting role in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods. 



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-2-viola-davis-7-million">#2 | Viola Davis: $7 million</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1311362100-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-50909" width="661" height="371" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1311362100-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1311362100-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1311362100-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1311362100-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1311362100-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 661px) 100vw, 661px" /><figcaption>. (Photo by AAFCA 2021 via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



Davis can command top dollar for buzzy television roles—like that of Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder—and her L’Oreal campaign but takes smaller checks for passion projects. That said, after winning an Oscar in 2017 for her last role in another August Wilson adaptation, Fences, she was likely able to negotiate a raise for her nominated role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Forbes estimates her paycheck for that film to be $3 million. 



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-1-sacha-baron-cohen-22-million">#1 | Sacha Baron Cohen: $22 Million</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1312531620-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-50910" width="717" height="403" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1312531620-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1312531620-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1312531620-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1312531620-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1312531620.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 717px) 100vw, 717px" /><figcaption> (Photo by The Hollywood Reporter LLC via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



Amazon reportedly shelled out more than $70 million for the mockumentary Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, and as the star, producer and writer, Baron Cohen got an impressive cut of the profits. For Aaron Sorkin’s highbrow drama about the trial of a group of Vietnam War protesters accused of inciting riots during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, meanwhile, “everyone worked for a fraction of what they are usually paid,” one top entertainment agent said.



METHODOLOGY: The earnings above are pretax and fees, and reflect all projects that have been released in the past 12 months. Earnings estimates are based on data from MRC Data, Box Office Mojo and IMDB, as well as interviews with industry insiders



By Madeline Berg, Forbes Staff



By Dawn Chmielewski, Forbes Staff

Untitled-1

The Highest-Paid Oscar Nominees 2021

It was a night of upset in Hollywood, as&nbsp;Green Book&nbsp;took home Best Picture&#8211;and dashed Netflix&#8217;s $30 million&nbsp;bet on scoring a win in the hotly-contested category with&nbsp;Roma.



The Universal buddy drama, starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, overcame stiff competition from superhero movie&nbsp;Black Panther, racially-charged comedy&nbsp;BlacKkKlansman, Queen historyBohemian Rhapsody, off-kilter period drama&nbsp;The Favourite, black-and-white autobiography&nbsp;Roma, musical tragedy&nbsp;A Star Is Born&nbsp;and Dick Cheney biopic&nbsp;Vice.



READ MORE |<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/current-affairs/2019/02/22/want-to-win-an-oscar-spend-millions-on-the-film-campaign-trail/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Want To Win An Oscar? Spend Millions On The Film Campaign Trail (opens in a new tab)">Want To Win An Oscar? Spend Millions On The Film Campaign Trail</a>



The&nbsp;film tells the tale of a black concert pianist Don Shirley and his Italian-American driver Tony Vallelonga traveling through the racist deep South.&nbsp;It overcame&nbsp;criticism for its portrayal of Mortensen&#8217;s character, Tony Vallelonga, as a white savior. The backlash was furthered by the Shirley family,&nbsp;who claimed it misrepresented the prodigy&#8217;s relationship with them.&nbsp;



Green Book&nbsp;was not the only controversial film to emerge triumphant.&nbsp;Bohemian Rhapsody&nbsp;led the awards scoreboard&nbsp;with&nbsp;four statuettes, including Best Actor for Rami Malek, despite a damning investigation by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/03/bryan-singers-accusers-speak-out/580462/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Atlantic</a>&nbsp;into sexual conduct by its director, Bryan Singer. (Singer has denied the accusations.) Black-and-white Spanish-language film&nbsp;Roma&nbsp;and&nbsp;blockbuster&nbsp;Black Panther&nbsp;were close behind&nbsp;with three apiece.



&#8220;I think to anyone struggling with their [identity] and trying to discover their voice, we made a film about a gay man, an immigrant, who lived his life just unapologetically himself,&#8221; said Malek, as he accepted his award. 



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">&#8220;And the fact that I’m celebrating him and this story with you tonight is proof that we’re longing for stories like this.&#8221;&nbsp;</blockquote>



Beyond scandal, it was also an evening of firsts: Auteur Spike Lee landed his first Oscar in his three decade-plus career for race comedy&nbsp;BlacKkKlansman,&nbsp;though he lost out on Best Picture.&nbsp;Lee, who was also snubbed years ago because of&nbsp;Driving Miss Daisy, had a few words to say. &#8220;Every time somebody is driving somebody, I lose,&#8221; Spike Lee told the press, while sipping champagne backstage.



Superhero smash hit&nbsp;Black Panther&nbsp;won&nbsp;Marvel the studio&#8217;s first statuettes ever, nabbing&nbsp;costume design, production design and best original score. And Mahershala Ali became the first Black actor to win two Oscars in the Best Supporting Actor category, following his performance in interracial roadtrip movie&nbsp;Green Book.



The biggest&nbsp;shock of the night, besides&nbsp;Green Book: Best Actress, which was won by Olivia Colman for&nbsp;The Favourite. She beat out Glenn Close (The Wife), who was widely&nbsp;expected to&nbsp;take the category.



&#8220;When I used to work as a cleaner&#8211;and I loved that job&#8211;I did spend quite a lot of my time imagining this,&#8221; Colman said onstage.&nbsp;



Critically-acclaimed period comedy&nbsp;The Favourite&nbsp;and Netflix&#8217;s autobiographical drama&nbsp;Roma&nbsp;had the most nominations going into the show,&nbsp;with 10 nods apiece.



Oscars 2019: Full&nbsp;List Of Winners:



BEST PICTURE



Green Book



DIRECTING



Alfonso Cuarón,&nbsp;Roma



ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE



Rami Malek,&nbsp;Bohemian Rhapsody



ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE



Olivia Colman,&nbsp;The Favourite



ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE



Regina King,&nbsp;If Beale Street Could Talk



ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE



Mahershala Ali,&nbsp;Green Book&nbsp;



ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY



Green Book



ADAPTED SCREENPLAY



BlacKkKlansman



ORIGINAL SCORE



Black Panther&nbsp;



ORIGINAL SONG



&#8220;Shallow,&#8221;&nbsp;A Star Is Born



DOCUMENTARY FEATURE



Free Solo



DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT



Period. End of Sentence.



MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING



Vice



COSTUME DESIGN



Black Panther



PRODUCTION DESIGN



Black Panther



CINEMATOGRAPHY



Roma



SOUND EDITING



Bohemian Rhapsody



SOUND MIXING



Bohemian Rhapsody



FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM



Roma



FILM EDITING



Bohemian Rhapsody



VISUAL EFFECTS



First Man



ANIMATED FEATURE FILM



Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse



ANIMATED SHORT FILM



Bao



LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM



Skin



-Natalie Robehmed;Forbes Staff

89th Annual Academy Awards – Backstage

Oscars 2019: Full List Of Winners

Making an unforgettable movie is not the only requirement to win the prestigious best picture Oscar. Add millions of dollars for TV and digital ads, plus actors’ travel, hair and makeup for events to promote their work on the busy film campaign trail. 



If the race is close, as it is heading into Sunday’s awards ceremony, studios must dig deeper to gain an edge with the roughly 8,000 voters in the Academy for Motion Picture Arts &amp; Sciences.



Netflix Inc and AT&amp;T Inc’s Warner Bros. are among the distributors opening their checkbooks to try to land the most-coveted golden statuette.



“You have to spend money,” said Matthew Belloni, editorial director at The Hollywood Reporter. “You have to shake hands. You have to have a message for your movie.”



“It’s about working the people out there and getting the academy to know you and to believe in your film,” he added.



For the eventual winner, the investment will pay off. A best picture trophy brings in extra box office dollars, plus cachet to help attract A-listers for future projects.



So from December through late February, actors, directors, producers and writers attend a heavy schedule of lunches, screenings, cocktail receptions and panel discussions, crisscrossing the country to get in front of voters in the industry hubs of New York and Los Angeles.



Aside from the movie’s stars, studios recruit A-list fans to host events, such as a “Roma” screening with Angelina Jolie, part of Netflix’s push to secure the first best picture award for a streaming service.



The “Roma” publicity campaign cost roughly $25 million, according to estimates from Hollywood publication Variety. The tab for Warner Bros.’ “A Star is Born” was just under $20 million, Variety said.



Much of that spending was dedicated to TV commercials, plus online ads on Hollywood-oriented news sites or Facebook. Some ads also are aimed at encouraging consumers to see the films.



Part of the Warner Bros. campaign involved covering a Sunset Strip billboard with a picture of Ally, Lady Gaga’s “A Star is Born” character. The signage is a replica of one seen in the film and looks like a promotion for the fictional star.



Studios also are trying out new experiences, said Marc Becker, chief executive of The Tangent Agency, which works with Hollywood studios on marketing campaigns. Netflix, for example, put together an exhibition of “Roma” costumes and props.



“They have always wined and dined people,” Becker said of awards campaigners, “but now they are immersing them even more in the world of the properties.”



Other films in the best-picture race are “Green Book” and “BlacKkKlansman” from Comcast Corp, 21st Century Fox’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “The Favourite,” Annapurna Pictures’ “Vice,” and Walt Disney Co’s “Black Panther.”



Disney’s campaign elevated “Black Panther” from superhero tale to an important cinematic milestone for its celebration of black culture, Belloni said.



“They’ve successfully reintroduced this comic book movie as a very serious artistic endeavor,” he said, “and they’ve been rewarded for that.” -Reuters



-Lisa Richwine; Additional reporting by Rollo Ross

91st Annual Academy Awards – Governors Ball Press Preview

Want To Win An Oscar? Spend Millions On The Film Campaign Trail

You are an established Hollywood actress now – an Oscar winner for 12 Years a Slave, do you have any plans to start your own business, be it a production house or otherwise?
Well, I actually am producing a film, Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and I am putting that hat on my head.
&nbsp;
<h3>And how is it going wearing two hats?</h3>
It is going well, it’s a learning curve for sure. But this is an industry I am very passionate about, I love storytelling. So I am just learning a new way to tell a story.
&nbsp;
The experience of being on the red carpet that night of the Oscars, what goes through your mind when they announce your name?
It was very confusing.
&nbsp;
<h3>In what sense does time stop?</h3>
It’s just I didn’t know if they had said my name or if I had said my name or my brother said my name, and you have no time to figure it out, you have to get up there and say something.
&nbsp;
And in terms of your process for a role, what do you do to embody the character, what is your method as it were?
Each role speaks for itself and you kind of design your preparation, depending on the kind of role. But it always starts with research about the world the character lives in.
&nbsp;
<h3>What kind of research did you do for Queen of Katwe?</h3>
Well, it was about learning as much as I can about these people. I was fortunately privileged enough to have the real Harriet – she is very much alive and kicking – and I sat with her and asked her to tell me about herself from her perspective and that was really cool, to ask her why she let Phiona go to Robert Katende’s chess academy and she was very practical, she said ‘he could give her a cup of porridge when I couldn’t’. So this is a woman who is very practical and principled as well and I felt very honoured to play because her dignity is one that doesn’t have a price tag on it.
&nbsp;
<h3>What is the experience of shooting in Uganda like?</h3>
It was incredible, to be on location shooting in the places where these things transpired, you are doing research as you walk and every day you are learning something new and deepening your understanding of your character and the world you live in. So for me, it was very fertile to be in Kampala, in Katwe, in its environments.
&nbsp;
<h3>As an African actress, you’ve now very much become an icon on this continent, do you feel it’s a big responsibility to shoulder and how do you feel to potentially mentor young girls to get where you’ve gotten to?</h3>
Well I don’t feel a responsibility at all, I feel like it’s my opportunity, it’s a conviction of my heart. I didn’t grow up seeing very many movies like Queen of Katwe, certainly not told by Disney so to have a chance to be that mirror this time feels very meaningful.
&nbsp;
<h3>Marvel’s Black Panther… what is your involvement there, are you are allowed to talk about it?</h3>
I am allowed to say who I am playing which is Nakia, and that’s about it.
&nbsp;
<h3>Is it a big studio film or…?</h3>
It’s Marvel… so it’s in the league of Captain America, Avengers and Iron Man… those kind of movies.
&nbsp;
<h3>Other than that, what are your future plans at this stage?</h3>
I am definitely looking forward to that, I have not shot that yet. So that is coming up shortly, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun and totally new role for me and I will be producing Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah as well and I hope to do comedy sometime soon.
&nbsp;
<h3>In terms of influences, who are they, be it directors, actors or actresses?</h3>
Oh…I am very fortunate to work with people like J.J Abrams, Mira Nair, and Steve McQueen to name a few. I love Cate Blanchett, I love her work, I loved Elizabeth Taylor as well, Viola Davis is fierce, Sidney Poitier is incomparable, yeah, those are some of them…

Queen of Katwe Movie Premier in South Africa

‘I Hope To Do Comedy Sometime Soon’

The night we go to press with this issue is when Lupita Nyong’o jets in from Kampala to Johannesburg for the premiere of her new film, Disney’s Queen of Katwe, releasing in South Africa mid-October.
Getting a phone interview – even two exclusive email quotes – from this African A-lister, despite relentlessly pursuing her PR machinery for months, has proven painfully difficult.
But this is Lupita, the African who brought home the best supporting actress Oscar for her turn as Patsey in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave in 2014. Her Cinderella-esque pose with the Oscar statue in the billowing blue – a color she famously said reminded her of Nairobi – Prada dress is still fresh in social media memory.
This spring, she was seen in Eclipsed, which made its Broadway debut and was written by another famous African daughter, Danai Gurira, the playwright more popular as the actress in The Walking Dead.
Eclipsed, a story about hope and activism starring a cast of all-African women, saw Lupita scoop the best Broadway debut performance award at the 2016 Theatre World Awards. The play explores the journey of four women drawn together due to the turmoil in their home country, Liberia.
Referring to her portrayal in Eclipsed, The New York Times said: “The superb Lupita Nyong’o is one of the most radiant young actors to be seen on Broadway in recent seasons.”
The Mexican-born Lupita, who was raised in Kenya, plays a part closer to home in Queen of Katwe, as Harriet, the strong-willed mother of Ugandan child chess prodigy, Phiona Mutesi.
The coming-of-age film, which is a true story, set in Katwe and Kibuli in Uganda, is directed by Mira Nair, who has straddled world cinema with such memorable films as Salaam Bombay!, Mississippi Masala, Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake and The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Nair has had a home in Kampala for the past 27 years and is the founder of Maisha Film Lab, a film school for East Africans.
In a press statement, Nair says the role of Harriet was written for Lupita, who she has known for years.
“I thought of Harriet as a young Mother Courage, and that is the strength and beauty that is in Lupita,” says Nair.
Lupita was an intern at Nair’s production company Mirabai Films in New York before she shot to fame with 12 Years a Slave. The actress had reportedly broken down and cried after reading just 10 pages of the script of Queen of Katwe.
“It was the first time in a while that I’d been so enlivened, inspired and challenged by a role I was considering,” says Nyong’o.
In its review of the film, The New York Times, said: “The sight of well-fed, well-dressed schoolboys beaten by a girl — a poor girl, at that — would be satisfying even if Queen of Katwe were a less vivid and engaging movie.”
In the interim leading up to the film, Lupita had also essayed roles in Non-Stop with Liam Neeson, The Jungle Book and played the voice of 1,000-year-old space pirate Maz Kanata in Star Wars: A Force Awakens, which released winter 2015.
And there have been other ‘appearances’. Lupita recently posted a video on her Instagram account showing off her freestyle-rapping skills, much to the mirth of her 3.1 million followers.
Lupita is also the Global Elephant Ambassador for WildAid, a wildlife conservation group focusing on protecting animals from being poached.
While Kenya banned the ivory trade over 20 years ago, WildAid says close to 33,000 elephants are killed annually in Africa for ivory. Lupita joined WildAid, for the campaign ‘Poaching Steals from Us All’, in July 2015, to advocate the protection and survival of elephants. It’s a role she takes seriously.
WildAid CEO Peter Knights says it has been amazing working with the star.
“Lupita is such a powerful presence on-screen, and this power has translated so beautifully to this campaign. She is truly passionate and committed to saving Africa’s elephants,” says Knights to FORBES WOMAN AFRICA.
Lupita had recently also gone back to her roots in Kenya for the October cover of Vogue. Needless to say, the 33-year-old Yale School of Drama graduate is leaving a trail as the beacon of hope for other young women in her country.
Moses Wafula, the principal of St. Mary’s School Nairobi, where Lupita was a student, calls her the school’s “heroine”.
“St. Mary’s School is very proud of Lupita. It’s a joy even to us who have ridden in the fame she has brought to the institution. Her success is a brand to our school and thence, many students have joined this institution since her Oscars’ triumph,” he says.
Attests Vivian Onano, an activist and youth ambassador for UN Women, who hails from Kisumu county in Kenya where Lupita is also from: “Lupita is a great role model and an inspiration for many young African women, me included. Despite her success, she has maintained her authenticity and stayed grounded. She has boldly showed us that you don’t have to conform to Hollywood’s definition of beauty to be successful in the global space. She acknowledges her roots and has used her platform to create opportunities for other young ladies who aspire to be like her.”
Kenyan photographer Lyndsey McIntyre, who knew Lupita before she became famous, was invited by the actress to a film she had produced on albinism, a subject McIntyre says Lupita is passionate about.
“The documentary was incredible… She always had that star quality about her even years ago but was humble, intelligent and very charming. I have no doubt Lupita is still humble and charming, she is just one of those types of people I think will manage to keep her feet on the ground,” she says.
“Like most people who acquire that level of recognition, she is exceptional, a one in a million. She has many gifts — her beauty, her intellect, her tremendous talent and her lovely personality but she was also privileged in her upbringing and studied her craft in the US when she was signed by obviously an excellent agent. She was not plucked out of a village in rural Kenya or even out of Nairobi,” says McIntyre.
In Kenya, Lupita’s parents have a reputation of their own. Her father, Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, is a professor of political science and senator of Kisumu county. Onano, who knows Lupita’s mother Dorothy (see interview on previous page), calls her: “A quiet lady though a great force and a doer; a very beautiful woman full of grace and a big heart.”
It’s the same grace and creative zest Lupita brings. Her hairstylist Vernon François, who created the brown and blue head wrap for her interview on American talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live in September, tells FORBES WOMAN AFRICA working with Lupita is a fantastic creative process.
“We have a very productive relationship because we are both always full of ideas and collaborate well. Selecting the material for every head wrap that I design for her, is always a team effort between Lupita, her stylist and myself,” he says.
Fans can now look forward to Lupita playing Nakia in Marvel’s Black Panther, which will cast her with The Walking Dead’s Gurira; the film’s expected to be released in 2018.
She is also in the upcoming much-awaited film adaptation of Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s book Americanah.
Africa is watching.
&nbsp;
<h2>‘She Will Continue To Break Through Ceilings For People of Color’</h2>
<div id="attachment_32006" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32006" class="wp-image-32006 size-large" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/GettyImages-476081543-1024x871.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="871" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GettyImages-476081543-1024x871.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GettyImages-476081543-300x255.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GettyImages-476081543-600x511.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GettyImages-476081543-768x653.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GettyImages-476081543.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />SANTA MONICA, CA- MARCH 01: Actress Lupita Nyong&#8217;o (R) and mother Dorothy Nyong&#8217;o attend the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards at Santa Monica Beach on March 1, 2014 in Santa Monica, California.(Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)</div>
<h4>Lupita’s mother, Dorothy Nyong’o, is an advocate for women and girls and whose work with the Africa Cancer Foundation speaks for itself. Known in Kenya for her commitment to cancer patients and cancer research, she also owns a public relations firm, 7th Sense Communications:</h4>
<pre></pre>
<h4>Do you travel often with Lupita?</h4>
I occasionally travel to meet Lupita at work. She takes her work very seriously. She has a very high work ethic and does whatever is necessary to give it her very best. At the same time, she likes to enjoy her work. She is playful and builds in enjoyment of the process and of the moment. She has always done so.
<h4>How do think Kenyans have responded to Lupita’s success?</h4>
Kenyans generally own Lupita’s success. They have personal pride in her achievements and feel she belongs to them. They are inspired by her and have a lot of goodwill towards her. She is a good role model for many. People often ask me, ‘how is our daughter?’
<h4>What do you think the future entails for her in Africa?</h4>
Lupita is already a role model in Africa and worldwide. She is an influencer and a leader in her craft. She will continue to break through real and imaginary ceilings for people of color and for women all over the world. She will continue to create opportunities for Africans and people of color, worldwide.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

shutterstock_432782164-Ovidiu-Hrubaru-Shutterstock.com-

Queen Bee!

Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o, 33, grew up in Nairobi before studying film and theater at Hampshire College, Massachusetts. Her father, Peter, is a politician who has spoken of being harassed and tortured for his beliefs. In 2014, Nyong’o won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her role as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave. She currently lives in Brooklyn. Here, she talks fame, and how childhood readied her for it:
Being uncomfortable with sudden fame is nothing to be ashamed of. It can be trying and confusing. Being cast in 12 Years a Slave completely altered the architecture of my life. I had come straight out of school and everything seemed to change overnight. Suddenly there was all this recognition. It still surprises me when people know who I am.
If I look calm, it’s probably because I’m terrified. Human beings have three reactions to stress – fight, flight or freeze – and my default is to freeze. If that comes across as calmness, I’m lucky.
I have a lot to thank television for. As a child in Kenya, it presented me with a window to the world. I was exposed to different cultures through shows from England, Australia, Brazil, Mexico. TV taught me what it means to be human.
In my family, looking good is a sign of respect. You should take time to present yourself well for an occasion. I grew up with so much grooming that, after a while, I got sick of it and cut off all my hair.
My tempestuous nature has served me well. As an actor, I can play the storm as well as the eye of the storm. It is very damaging to have only one notion of beauty. My teenage years were plagued by the idea that light skin was better skin. There were adverts on TV about a woman trying to get a job and she only got it when she applied skin-lightening cream. I felt that I was not considered beautiful because of my complexion. My self-worth was deeply compromised in those years.
What you wear has to stand the test of time. You need clean lines and maybe a bit of humor, too.
My childhood prepared me for this life in more ways than I could have imagined. I witnessed my father navigating life as a public figure and also just being my dad. He was on the cover of the newspaper and everyone was talking about him in an abstract manner in my presence. Then I would go home to a very real man who was tired and needed a back rub. I grew up meeting world leaders and, as such, I have always known that incredible people are also very normal people.
Throw a seed over your shoulder and it will grow. At least, in East Africa it will. I miss eating the seeds from the baobab trees.
The most important thing to instil in a child is curiosity. Going to college was never a question. I was born expected to achieve. But I found school to be a very narrow experience, having to cram in all this theoretical and literary information. I learn through story and experience. If it weren’t for my parents, who were very liberal, I think I would have given up on myself.
Stand up for what you believe in. I’ve witnessed my father stand in the line of fire for his causes. He has sacrificed a lot for his beliefs and my family has had to stand by him and support his calling.
Don’t get me started on self-righteousness. The idea that how you see the world is the only way the world can be is so annoying. Eat deep-fried food. In Kenya, we deep-fry anything. There’s a snack called chevdo, which is a mix of deep-fried potatoes, peas, raisins and cashews. There’s a fruit that’s really good for you – higher in calcium than milk – but we fry it up with red spice before we eat it. It’s heavenly.

Celebrities Visit SiriusXM – September 26, 2016

Lupita Nyong’o:  What I’ve Learned

Thanks to Gravity, Sandra Bullock earned more than any other actress this year. On paper, the movie Gravity seemed like a crazy risk. The effects-heavy movie cost upward of $100 million to produce and instead of comic book heroes duking it out, the film featured one woman floating in space for the entire 90-minute running time.
Despite the odds, Gravity turned out to be one of the highest-grossing movies of 2013 bringing in $716 million at the global box office. The film was the rare commercial and critical success. Gravity earned 10 Oscar nominations and won seven gold statues.
Bullock didn’t win for Best Actress this year (though she did in 2010 for The Blind Side) but she did walk away with a ton of money. Thanks mostly to Gravity, Bullock tops our 2014 list of the highest-earnings actress with an estimated $51 million between June 2013 and June 2014.
Despite Bullock’s impressive showing, women are still earning less than men in Hollywood. Our 10 top earning actors brought in a combined $419 million during our time frame while the top 10 actresses brought in just a little over half of that — $226 million.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-29569 alignleft" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2014-Oct-Nov-025-FUS-Sandra-Bullock-001-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2014-Oct-Nov-025-FUS-Sandra-Bullock-001-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2014-Oct-Nov-025-FUS-Sandra-Bullock-001-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2014-Oct-Nov-025-FUS-Sandra-Bullock-001-600x900.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2014-Oct-Nov-025-FUS-Sandra-Bullock-001-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2014-Oct-Nov-025-FUS-Sandra-Bullock-001-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2014-Oct-Nov-025-FUS-Sandra-Bullock-001.jpg 682w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />
Hopefully the women on our list can start to change that as female-led blockbusters bring in just as much money as action films starring men.
The fact that The Hunger Games franchise stars a woman hasn’t stopped fans from spending millions of dollars on the movies. Star Jennifer Lawrence earned less than $1 million upfront for the first movie. Now she’s in a position to demand top dollar for future Hunger Games movies as well as a share of the backend.
We estimate Lawrence earned $34 million between June 2013 and June 2014 ranking her second on our earnings list. Lawrence ranked 12th overall on our Celebrity 100 list which measures a mix of earnings and fame.
To come up with our earnings estimates, we talked to agents, producers, lawyers and other in-the-know folks to figure out how much each celebrity earned from entertainment-related work during our 12-month time period. We didn’t deduct for taxes, agent fees or the other costs of being a celebrity.
Ranking third on our list is Jennifer Aniston with $31 million. Thanks to Friends and her endorsement work for products like Aveeno, Aniston can be choosy about her film projects. Lately she’s focused on smaller-budgeted comedies like We’re The Millers and Horrible Bosses. Aniston is usually willing to cut her upfront pay for these movies in return for a chunk of the profits. It’s a strategy that’s paying off. Aniston should continue her streak with Horrible Bosses 2, scheduled to hit theaters in November.
With an estimated $19 million in earnings, Gwyneth Paltrow ranks fourth on our earnings list. Though she doesn’t come close to earning Robert Downey Jr. money, the star’s work in Iron Man 3 helped land her high on our list. Paltrow also earns big endorsing Max Factor makeup and Hugo Boss.
Last year’s top earning actress, Angelina Jolie, ties for fifth place on our list with Cameron Diaz. Each actress earned an estimated $18 million last year. In 2013, Jolie earned an estimated $33 million. She earned less for our latest list because we had credited her with her large upfront payment for Maleficent last year. She’ll earn more next year thanks to her profit participation on the Disney film which has earned more than $700 million at the box office so far. She’s also well positioned for some kind of Oscar love. Unbroken, which Jolie directed, hits theaters this Christmas.

Sandra Bullock Tops Forbes’ List Of Highest Earning Actresses With $51 million

And the Oscar for best supporting actress goes to…”
The camera panned across five nervous nominees: Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle; June Squibb for Nebraska; Julia Roberts for August: Osage County, Sally Hawkins for Blue Jasmine and newcomer, Lupita Nyong’o for 12 Years a Slave.
Last year’s best supporting actor, Christoph Waltz, was on stage at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles at Hollywood’s night of the year – the 86th Academy Awards.
Lawrence was also a favorite for her role of Rosalyn Rosenfeld in American Hustle, but it was not to be. In a blaze of emotion, up stepped a daughter of Kenya. It was March 2, 75 years after Hattie McDaniel became the first black person to win an Academy Award for her role in Gone With The Wind. In more than seven decades, a mere seven black women have won in either the Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress categories; and only three hailed from Africa.
“Lupita Nyong’o is already an African icon, not just for what she has achieved with her remarkable win at the Academy Awards, but more importantly for what she has almost overnight come to symbolize, the undeniable truth that African women are increasingly charting their own course,” says Biola Alabi, Managing Director of M-Net in Africa.
“Here is a beautiful black woman, comfortable in her own skin, clearly highly educated, who can champion the next generation of African talent; she is a blessing to Kenya and the continent and long may she prosper. From where I sit, it is an absolute truth that the lead performances were Kenyan and Nigerian – I know its trendy to call Chiwetel Ejiofor black British but he is an Ibo boy and we claim him. However, perhaps African countries can begin to understand and appreciate the nobility of the higher arts of song, dance, theater and film and invest and support them… I would have loved to see her shout out Kenya and say something in Swahili but, hey, you can’t have it all,” says entrepreneur Obi Asika, the Chairman of Social Media Week Lagos.
What a difference six months makes. Back then, 31-year-old Nyong’o was a struggling unknown in Hollywood who lived lean and carried her own clothes.
The role that was to change her life, cast her alongside London-born Nigerian, Ejiofor, in a film based on the 1853 memoir by Solomon Northup – the tale of a free man kidnapped into slavery.
Steve McQueen cast Nyong’o three weeks before she graduated from Yale School of Drama, after a chance audition in New York. Her manager had the script ready for another client, but when Nyong’o was asked to read, McQueen was keen on her playing Patsey. It went to a second audition with the casting director.
“It was a one-hour, very grueling audition. Then I was shortlisted and invited to Louisiana to audition with Steve about two weeks later. So it was three auditions in three different states,” she says.
Filled with excitement she phoned her father, Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, a professor back in Nairobi, to tell him the news that she was going to be in a film with Brad Pitt.
“My father said he had never heard of him, but he was glad I had finally got a job,” says Nyong’o.
It has been a long and winding journey that began in the gentle world of amateur dramatics. It was with the Pheonix Players in Nairobi that Nyong’o took her first tender steps in Shakespeare.
Drama teacher, Ian Mbugua, who ran the Phoenix Players for 19 years, remembers it well.
“Lupita first came to us as a student from Rusinga School. She was brought by her father Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o who had obviously seen her talent. Nyongo and his wife Dorothy were very supportive of the theater and used to bring young Lupita to productions. He left her in the capable hands of James Falkland who put her as Juliet alongside George Mumbai, who played Romeo,” says Mbugua.
“Needless to say she gave a sterling performance… I was very impressed by her parent’s support. At a time when parents wanted their kids to study medicine, law, engineering, the Nyongos supported her dream to be an actress. She always approached rehearsals and performances with the seriousness they deserved. She was very eloquent and had wonderful stage presence. She was a passionate actress. Off-stage she had a great sense of humor and was always quick to laugh.”
“We remember how brilliantly she played Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at the Phoenix Theatre, at the age of 14 years; how she cracked our ribs during St. Mary’s School plays, or at the British High Commission, when as a teenager, she played Natalya in Anton Chekhov’s The Proposal,” says her mother, Dorothy Nyong’o.
Nyong’o emigrated to the United States 10 years ago, where she earned a degree in film and theater studies from Hampshire College. In her summer break, she headed back to Africa where she worked on the production crew of Mira Nair’s The Namesake. In another Nairobi summer, she served as a production assistant on the set of The Constant Gardener starring Ralph Fiennes.
“Ralph Fiennes was a pivotal influence on me,” she told the New York Post. “He asked me, ‘So what is it you want to do?’ I very shyly, timidly admitted I wanted to be an actor. He sighed, and said, ‘Lupita, only be an actor if you feel there is nothing else in the world you want to do – only do it if you feel you cannot live without acting.’”
The second of six children, Nyong’o was born in Mexico City, where her father, a politician in Kenya, had fled to following the disappearance of his brother in difficult political times. The Nyong’o family hails from the Luo people in western Kenya, like Barack Obama’s father. When Nyong’o was less than a year old, her parents moved back to Kenya, where her father is now a senator representing Kisumu County; her mother is the managing director of the Africa Cancer Foundation. Her parents sent her back to Mexico, at the age of 16, to learn Spanish.
Fast forward to the Oscars, Nyong’o, who sports short kinky hair and a pale blue Prada dress, a color she says reminds her of Nairobi, picked up the award for one of the great moments in movie history. The moment when the sadistic cotton plantation owner Edwin Epps, played by Michael Fassbender, whips Patsey near to death; when it becomes unbearable, he forces her friend Solomon to take over.
“It doesn’t escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else’s, and so I want to salute the spirit of Patsey for her guidance,” says a tearful Nyong’o on Oscar night.
What is next for Kenya’s first Oscar winner? Her next role is in a thriller set on an international flight, with Liam Neeson, that opened in February. It is likely to sell well in Nairobi where a whole new generation of young Kenyan actresses are learning their lines for the amateur stage with one eye on Lupita and the other on the future.

Lupitamania!

“And the Oscar goes to…”
The camera panned across five nervous nominees: Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle; June Squibb for Nebraska; Julia Roberts for August: Osage County, Sally Hawkins for Blue Jasmine and newcomer, Lupita Nyong’o for 12 Years a Slave.
Last year’s best supporting actor, Christoph Waltz, was on stage at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles at Hollywood’s night of the year—the 86th Academy Awards.
<div id="attachment_2618" style="width: 210px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2618" class="size-medium wp-image-2618" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/476325217-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />THE OSCARS(r) &#8211; PRESS ROOM &#8211; The Academy Awards(r) for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, MARCH 2 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET/5:00-8:00 p.m., PT), at the Dolby Theatre(r) at Hollywood &amp; Highland Center(r) and televised live on the ABC Television Network. (Photo by Rick Rowell/ABC via Getty Images) LUPITA NYONG&#8217;O</div>
Lawrence was the favorite for her role of Rosalyn Rosenfeld in American Hustle, but it was not to be. In a blaze of emotion, up stepped a daughter of Kenya. It was March 2, seventy five years after Hattie McDaniel became the first black person to win an Academy Award. In more than seven decades, a mere seven black women have won in either the Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress categories; only three hailed from Africa.
“Lupita Nyong’o is already an African icon, not just for what she has achieved with her remarkable win at the Academy Awards, but more importantly for what she has almost overnight come to symbolize, the undeniable truth that African women are increasingly charting their own course,” says Biola Alabi, the managing director of M-Net in Africa.
“Here is a beautiful black woman, comfortable in her own skin, clearly highly educated, who can champion the next generation of African talent; she is a blessing to Kenya and the continent and long may she prosper. From where I sit, it is an absolute truth that the lead performances were Kenyan and Nigerian—I know its trendy to call Chiwetel Ejiofor black British but he is an Ibo boy and we claim him. However, perhaps African countries can begin to understand and appreciate the nobility of the higher arts of song, dance, theater and film and invest and support them… I would have loved to see her shout out Kenya and say something in Swahili but, hey, you can’t have it all,” says entrepreneur Obi Asika, the chairman of Social Media Week Lagos.
What a difference six months makes. Back then, 31-year-old Nyong’o was a struggling unknown in Hollywood who lived lean and carried her own clothes.
The role that was to change her life, cast her alongside London-born Nigerian, Ejiofor, in a film based on the 1853 memoir by Solomon Northup—the tale of a free man kidnapped into slavery.
Steve McQueen cast Nyong’o three weeks before she graduated from Yale School of Drama, after a chance audition in New York. Her manager had the script ready for another client, but when Nyong’o was asked to read, McQueen was keen on her playing Patsey. It went to a second audition with the casting director.
“It was a one-hour, very gruelling audition. Then I was shortlisted and invited to Louisiana to audition with Steve about two weeks later. So it was three auditions in three different states,” she says.
Filled with excitement she phoned her father, Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, a professor back in Nairobi, to tell him the news that she was going to be in a film with Brad Pitt.
“My father said he had never heard of him, but he was glad I had finally got a job,” says Nyong’o.
It has been a long and winding journey that began in the gentle world of amateur dramatics. It was with the Pheonix Players in Nairobi that Nyong’o took her first tender steps in Shakespeare.
Drama teacher, Ian Mbugua, who ran the Phoenix Players for 19 years, remembers it well.
“Lupita first came to us as a student from Rusinga School. She was brought by her father Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o who had obviously seen her talent. Nyongo and his wife Dorothy were very supportive of the theater and used to bring young Lupita to productions. He left her in the capable hands of James Falkland who put her as Juliet alongside George Mumbai, who played Romeo,” says Mbugua.
“Needless to say she gave a sterling performance… I was very impressed by her parent’s support. At a time when parents wanted their kids to study medicine, law, engineering, the Nyongos supported her dream to be an actress. She always approached rehearsals and performances with the seriousness they deserved. She was very eloquent and had wonderful stage presence. She was a passionate actress. Off-stage she had a great sense of humor and was always quick to laugh.”
“We remember how brilliantly she played Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at the Phoenix Theatre, at the age of 14 years; how she cracked our ribs during St. Mary’s School plays, or at the British High Commission, when as a teenager, she played Natalya in Anton Chekhov’s The Proposal,” says her mother, Dorothy Nyong’o.
Nyong’o emigrated to the United States 10 years ago, where she earned a degree in film and theater studies from Hampshire College. In her summer break, she headed back to Africa where she worked on the production crew of Mira Nair’s The Namesake. In another Nairobi summer, she served as a production assistant on the set of The Constant Gardener starring Ralph Fiennes.
“Ralph Fiennes was a pivotal influence on me,” she told the New York Post. “He asked me, ‘So what is it you want to do?’ I very shyly, timidly admitted that I wanted to be an actor. He sighed, and he said, ‘Lupita, only be an actor if you feel there is nothing else in the world you want to do—only do it if you feel you cannot live without acting.’”
The second of six children, Nyong’o was born in Mexico City, where her father, a politician in Kenya, had fled to following the disappearance of his brother in difficult political times. The Nyong’o family hails from the Luo people in western Kenya, like Barack Obama’s father. When Nyong’o was less than a year old, her parents moved back to Kenya, where her father is now a senator representing Kisumu County; her mother is the managing director of the Africa Cancer Foundation. Her parents sent her back to Mexico, at the age of 16, to learn Spanish.
Fast forward to the Oscars, Nyong’o, who sports short kinky hair and a pale blue dress, a color she says reminds her of Nairobi, picked up the award for one of the great moments in movie history. The moment when the sadistic cotton plantation owner Edwin Epps, played by Michael Fassbender, whips Patsey near to death; when it becomes unbearable, he forces her friend Solomon to take over.
“It doesn’t escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else’s, and so I want to salute the spirit of Patsey for her guidance,” says a tearful Nyong’o on Oscar night.
What is next for Kenya’s first Oscar winner? Her next role is in a thriller set on an international flight, with Liam Neeson, that opened in February. It is likely to sell well in Nairobi where a whole new generation of young Kenyan actresses are learning their lines for the amateur stage with one eye on Lupita and the other on the future.

Tag: Oscars

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Queen Bee!

Lupita Nyong’o: What I’ve Learned

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Lupitamania!

Lupitamania!