Andrea Riseborough Breaks Silence on Controversial Oscar Nomination for the First Time

For the first time since2020, just before Covid dealt a devastating blow to the industry, exhibitors and awards season, it feels like this year’s Oscar show may return to some sense of normalcy. And with box office hits mixed with acclaimed indies among the 10 Best Picture nominees, this could be the turning point in the recovery of the Academy Awards. At the nominees’ luncheon, in fact, Steven Spielberg was overheard telling Tom Cruise that he may have saved the movie business with Top Gun: Maverick, 2022’s No. 1 movie and a billion-dollar rescue for the industry. On Maverick’s tail came Avatar: The Way of Water, which became the third biggest global-grossing film of all time. And shock of shocks, both of those long-gestating sequels are Best Picture contenders with 10 nominations between them.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Will Cate Blanchett fulfill the awards prophecy of winning an Academy Award every nine years? The two-time Academy Award winner of “The Aviator” (2004) and “Blue Jasmine” (2003) is a favorite to possibly win her third for Todd Field’s psychological drama “Tár,” in which she plays a lesbian conductor who begins to lose her grip on power and reality. On this week’s episode of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, we sit down with Blanchett to discuss her work stunning transformation into Lydia Tár. In addition, she talks about working with co-star Nina Hoss and more. Listen below: From Focus Features, “Tár” is set to a rhythmic beat of classical orchestration, marking writer and director Todd Field’s return to the director’s chair, 16 years after “Little Children” (2006) and 21 years after his debut “In the Bedroom” (2001).

nominees luncheon, and we came upon Steven Spielberg, as one does…he said, ‘I’ve seen your film three times now and I’ve cried in a different spot,” Malala said. Spielberg is nominated as director, cowriter and a producer of his majorly autobiographical drama “The Fabelmans” for this year’s Oscar ceremony.Malala remembers this vital moment as being singular as well.

Whitney Friedlander The term “passion project” is thrown around a lot in Hollywood; usually as a reference to a personal story that means a ton to its writer, director or star.  But what kind of pressure does that put on the rest of the cast and crew? This Oscar season, there are a lot of so-called passion projects that have received accolades. Among them: “The Fabelmans,” a family story that was inspired by director and co-writer Steven Spielberg’s own parents; “The Banshees of Inisherin,” a script that writer-director Martin McDonagh spent years perfecting set in an era in Irish history that few outsiders might know about; and the Marvel movie “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” for which director and co-writer Ryan Coogler had to follow the success of the film’s predecessor, 2018’s “Black Panther” while doing justice to its late star, Chadwick Boseman. 

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com A24 just swept the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Thanks to “Everything Everywhere All At Once’s” massive showing throughout the night (the multiverse movie took home four wins at the 2023 SAG Awards ceremony) and Brendan Fraser’s victory for “The Whale.” Thus making this the first time in history that a studio has captured every major film prize (minus the stunts award that went to “Top Gun: Maverick”). This colossal night for A24 feature “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, started early with Jamie Lee Curtis (who won for actress in a supporting role). Next up was Ke Huy Quan taking home the trophy for outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role. That was followed by Michelle Yeoh, who won for actress in a leading role, and then the show closed with a win for bestperformance by a cast in a motion picture. These four wins for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” broke the SAG record for most wins by a single film at the show.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star Michelle Yeoh has made history with her win for best performance by a female actor in a leading role at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, becoming the first Asian woman to win a leading film acting award. “I think if I speak my heart will explode,” an emotional Yeoh said on stage while accepting her award. “SAG- AFTRA, to get this from you who understand what it is to get here… everyone of you know the journey, the roller coaster ride, the ups and downs. But most importantly we never give up. I thank you… This is not just for me, this is for every little girl who looks like me.” The actress then paused, turning away from the podium to compose herself but eventually relenting with an excited litany of curses screaming “shit” and “fuck” to an elated crowd. “Thank you for giving me seat at the table and tonight you’ve shown us that it is possible,” she said. “I’m grateful and my mom will be eternally grateful to all of you.”

#SAGAwards pic.twitter.com/5YwEROQK69Quan, who was born in Vietnam, pointed out the other Asian and Asian-American nominees for film awards at the SAGs: his costars Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu and “The Whale” actress Hong Chau. He continued, “When I stepped away from acting it was because there were so few opportunities.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Ke Huy Quan, the comeback star of “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” has been the feel-good story of the awards season — and he just made history at the Screen Actors Guild Awards with his win for best performance by a male actor in a supporting role. Quan is the first Asian male to win a film acting award at the annual guild ceremony since its inception in 1994. He’s also only the second Asian actor to win any individual SAG prize in either film or television, one year after “Squid Game’s” Lee Jung-jae won for male actor in a drama series. Quan’s performance as Waywond Wang, the meek and goofy husband who sets out on a quest with his wife Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) to save the multiverse, is the undisputed frontrunner for the Oscar after garnering multiple industry accolades including the Golden Globe and Critics Choice awards.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once”Current status: Presumed frontrunner, with reservations.Best-case scenario: It wins Producers Guild on Saturday and SAG ensemble on Sunday to give it a formidable trifecta with the Directors Guild Award it already won. And if it wants to rub it in, supporting-actor lock Ke Huy Quan is joined in the SAG winners’ circle when Michelle Yeoh scores an upset over Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis does the same over Angela Bassett or Kerry Condon.Good scenario: A Producers Guild win and at least one SAG individual win.

BAFTA Film Awards.The actor, best known for starring in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, performed an original song at the ceremony that name-checked various Best Actress nominees including Angela Bassett, Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh. After the performance was widely mocked online, DeBose deactivated her Twitter account.On her Instagram account, which has remained active, DeBose has responded to various memes about the performance.

The room reached critical mass quickly on Monday, with the crush of people moving depending on what luminary was where. Jamie Lee Curtis talked to Cruise, and photographers surrounded them immediately.

Andrea Riseborough was a surprised as anyone else when her name was called during the Oscar nominations announcement last month.

The Academy Awards are bringing together Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Every year, the stars nominated for awards at the Oscars gather for a celebratory luncheon ahead of the show and 2023′s event just took place!

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Monday hosted its annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon to celebrate this year’s crop of hopefuls.

Oscars Nominees Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.The annual tradition allows nominees from all categories to rub elbows before the big night and this year was no different.

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit.

Michelle Yeoh spoke out for the first time on Friday about the ongoing Andrea Riseborough Oscar campaign controversy. When asked about the swirling speculation that Riseborough’s grassroots Oscar campaign for micro-indie “To Leslie” broke the rules, and the internal investigation at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Yeoh, herself a nominee and frontrunner for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” shrugged it all off.

“If it was so easy it would have been done before,” Everything Everywhere All at Once star Michelle Yeoh said of the Andrea Riseborough Oscar controversy this morning.

Brendan Fraser is having a moment right now. After his acclaimed performance in “The Whale,” he’s gone on to earn a ton of awards recognition, including the recently announced Oscars nom for Best Actor.