Michelle Yeoh, Colin Farrell, Ke Huy Quan, Brendan Fraser, Bill Nighy, and Martin McDonagh tell how it feels to be on the verge of winning an Academy Award, before Sunday night’s star-studded ceremony in Los Angeles.
It’s the biggest night in show business, and the Academy Award is the highest honor any actor can receive.
Their performances have been judged by Hollywood’s great and good, and their teams have been campaigning for months. But who gets the gong on the night is yet to be revealed.
Michelle Yeoh: “It would be the ultimate.”
Everything Everywhere All At Once leads the Oscar race with 11 nods and gave Michelle Yeoh her first.
The touching indie sci-fi directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as the Daniels, stars the Malaysian actress as Evelyn Wang, an overworked laundromat proprietor who is transported into increasingly perplexing parallel worlds.
She described the script as “a rare gem,” and she was thrilled “to be given a role that encompasses all the things that you want your audience to see and let them believe that you are capable of.” She spoke about how thrilled she was to have received the role.
By focusing on a middle-aged Asian woman, Yeoh says the film has sparked new conversations: “Hollywood is global. How could it exclude a film like this? I give credit to the Daniels for having the courage to write a story with hotdog fingers, rocks, confetti man, and other elements that would normally cause people to exclaim, “This is too ridiculous.”
However, our world is chaotic, insane, and unpredictable; therefore, we must learn to accept whatever comes our way.
And as for her feelings about possibly winning an Oscar, she admits: “This is my first time, so I have no idea how intense the competition will be; just receiving the nominations was terrifying. What if?! Because it felt like a big part of the world was wanting it so badly.”
Yeoh is philosophical if she doesn’t win, stating. “Jamie [Lee Curtis, her co-star] and I are both passionate about our work and love what we do…
“Being nominated or receiving an award would be the ultimate, but if you don’t you sort of accept it and say, “yeah, it’s okay, we’ll move on, we’ll find something” as long as we can do what we love, it’s fine.”
But if she does win her first Oscar at age 60, Yeoh has a defiant response for anyone who may question the timing of the award: “When someone says, ‘Oh they’re past their prime,’ we’re going to show you what prime is.”
Colin Farrell: “The cherry on top.”
He has starred in films for nearly a quarter century, but he has never been nominated for an Academy Award.
But after winning a Golden Globe earlier this year, expectations are high that Irish actor Colin Farrell will finally win an Academy Award for his portrayal of the insulted friend Padraic in The Banshees of Inisherin.
The 46-year-old celebrity, who will attend the ceremony with his adolescent son, told before the big event: “To do the film, to be off the west coast of Ireland with the cast and crew we had, and to reunite with Brendan Gleeson and Martin, I was pleased.
“Then Venice occurred, and we were all shocked by the response we received there. Since then, it’s been like a snowball. So, it’s icing on a cake that we were more than content to devour already.”
Brendan Fraser: ‘Frothy, happy and giddy’
After nearly 20 years out of the limelight, Canadian-American actor Brendan Fraser’s return to Hollywood has been spectacular. Fraser was one of the most popular actors of the 1990s.
The comeback of the 53-year-old actor, inspired by his role as the morbidly obese English teacher Charlie in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, has even inspired its term: the “Bren-nuisance.”
Fraser told that he hopes the character’s “journey of redemption” will “change some hearts and minds about how we feel about these issues.”
He stated that he had no reservations about joining the film: “Darren Aronofsky is a world-class filmmaker who has a history of eliciting excellent and even transformative performances from the actors he casts.
“Knowing how talented he is in his field, I had no doubts. Rather, I was filled with enthusiasm, hope, humility, and a touch of creative intimidation, I will admit.”
And regarding the experience of being nominated for an Oscar, he said: “It’s new to me, but we’re all excited, giddy, and happy about it, with our fingers crossed and highest hopes for success, but who knows what the outcome will be?
“I’m optimistic and believe we have a chance of crossing the finish line.”
Ke Huy Quan: “A wild ride”
On his comeback rollercoaster, Ke Huy Quan has worked through childhood fame thanks to Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom and The Goonies, followed by near-obscurity, and is now bouncing back into the spotlight with his critically acclaimed role in Everything Everywhere All At Once. It has been a long journey.
Quan portrays Waymond Wang (and Alpha Waymond) in the parallel universe extravaganza. Which has surprised many with its numerous award show nominations and wins.
He told that the response to the film has been overwhelming. “When I decided to return to acting, I was so nervous because I didn’t know what the audience would think.
To have received such a positive response from them has been incredible.
And he says that accepting the role was a no-brainer: “When I read the script, I knew it was special. I loved it, it was a script I’d wanted to read for a long time. And we had a great time making it, but we didn’t anticipate all of this.
“All of these award nominations and the audience’s enthusiastic reception of the film are beyond our wildest dreams.”
He enjoys every moment of awards season: “I’m enjoying it. I am extremely appreciative of everything that has transpired since. And yes, it has been a wild ride.”
Michelle Williams: “Always trying something new.”
It is her fifth nomination for an Academy Award, but it could be her first win.
Michelle Williams, age 42, portrays Mitzi Fabelman, the mother of a fictional Steven Spielberg in The Fabelmans, a semi-autobiographical film about his early life.
She told how the film relates to her own motherhood experience: “I believe it’s a remarkable balancing act, and I believe balance is the correct term because it’s something that is constantly changing and on which you’re always seeking your footing; it’s truly a give-and-take.
“Sometimes I think when you’re serving your work, it’s hard to feel like you’re being a great mom, and when you’re being an incredible mom, you know that your work is languishing, so you have to find a way to go back and forth between these two realities and get comfortable with that discomfort.”
Despite the constant juggling, she says the rewards are worth it, awards or no awards. “I do this for my sense of satisfaction, purpose, and self-esteem. I want to feel a certain way on the inside about my contribution to this job that I’ve been doing for the past 30 years, which is the only thing I’ve ever done, and it’s always about doing something new.”
Bill Nighy: “Absolutely magnificent”
The 73-year-old British actor portrays Mr. Williams, a joyless county public works employee who is inspired to make a change by a terminal diagnosis.
The Kazuo Ishiguro-penned remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film Ikiru, Living, serves as a stark reminder to live life to the fullest.
Nighy told that he enjoyed the film’s reserved and stiff upper-lip manner. “Both from an acting standpoint and because it’s enjoyable, I’m captivated by it. I’m intrigued by the phenomenon of acting in such a recklessly restrained manner.
“I think it’s probably regrettable, and psychiatrists would probably say it’s a deeply unhealthy way. But there’s also something heroic about it, and it’s funny that you weren’t allowed to express anything.”
He says the film’s reception has been positive. It’s been wonderful. People respond positively to the film and are inspired by it, which is precisely what it was intended to achieve. As a result, it is extremely satisfying.”
He even admits to enjoying all the attention – at least a little bit. “As much as I’m able to enjoy anything. I have a negative tendency which I have to really kind of combat. But no, seriously, it’s wonderful.”
And as for coping with awards season, he’s upbeat: “I just try and do the day. I don’t sit around pondering about awards. And it’s been a while since I’ve been mentioned in dispatches, but everything is very upbeat and enjoyable.”
Martin McDonagh: “Both thrilling and terrifying.”
The director of the Irish tragicomedy Banshees Of Inisherin, a tale of male friendship gone sour, was blown away by the positive response to the film starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, and Barry Keogh, who are all nominated for Academy Awards.
He told: “We thought we were just making a smallish film and we didn’t think it would ever have this kind of reaction. It’s been incredible.
“Yes, it’s great to do it with friends; Colin and Brendan are friends, as are Kerry and Barry. So, yes, it’s been a dream.”
The film is nominated for the night’s most prestigious award, best picture. As well as a best original screenplay, best score, and best editing. McDonagh is also nominated for best director.
Even though four of his Banshee actors are nominated for awards, he does not expect to become the go-to director for actors seeking nominations: “I hope not, I detest working! But no, it’s been amazing. They’re so nice, it was fun to make the film with them. And it’s a joy to be able to do this stuff with them too.”
As for awards season, McDonagh will employ the silver lining strategy to overcome any feelings of disappointment if he does not win the award on the night in question.
“I’m bad at public speaking, so I’m half-happy when we fail so I don’t have to go up there.” But being included is preferable to be excluded. So, it’s strangely both exciting and scary at the same time.”
