Following the declaration of this year’s nominees, The Associated Press spoke with a range of Academy Award contenders, offering a glimpse into the personal and professional journeys behind their celebrated work. From Ryan Coogler’s dedication to honoring his late uncle with his record-breaking 16 nominations for “Sinners,” to Rose Byrne’s detailed readiness for her leading role, these reactions reveal the dedication and artistry at the heart of Hollywood’s biggest night. The 97th Academy Awards will air live on March 2nd on ABC and Hulu.
Ryan Coogler penned the script for the blues-infused vampire film “Sinners,” which has garnered a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations, as a tribute to a beloved uncle who passed away years ago.
Rose Byrne shared the surreal experience of learning about her Best Actress nomination in the middle of the night while in Australia, detailing the intensive five-week rehearsal process she undertook to fully embody her complex character.
Leonardo DiCaprio emphasized the unique and profound experience of watching a film in a theater, immersed in the collective energy of the audience.
And Amy Madigan recounted her small dog’s puzzled reaction to an early morning wake-up call, seemingly questioning, “Why are we up so early?”
Across Hollywood and beyond, Oscar nominees reflected on Thursday on the work that led to their recognition. Here are some highlights from reactions to this year’s nominations. Quotes have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Ryan Coogler, for “Sinners”
Table of Contents
- Ryan Coogler, for “Sinners”
- Leonardo DiCaprio, for “One Battle After Another”
- Joachim Trier, for “Sentimental Value”
- Kaouther Ben Hania, for “Sawt Hind Rajab” (“The Voice of Hind Rajab”)
- Rose Byrne, for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
- Amy Madigan, for “Weapons”
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, for “Sentimental Value”
- Ruth E. Carter, for “Sinners”
- Ludwig Göransson, for “Sinners”
- Diane Warren, for “Dear Me” from “Diane Warren: Relentless”
- Liza Marshall, for “Hamnet”
- Alexandre Desplat, for “Frankenstein”
- Nicholas Pike, for “Sweet Dreams Of Joy” from “Viva Verdi!”
- Bryce Dessner, for “Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams”
- Maggie O’Farrell, for “Hamnet”
“I wrote this screenplay for my uncle who passed away 11 years ago. I imagine he’s listening to some blues music right now celebrating. I love making movies. I’m honored to wake up every day and do it. I was writing last night, so I didn’t get a lot of sleep. Honestly, man, I’m still a little sleepy right now.” — Coogler told The Associated Press. Coogler is nominated for Best Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay.
Leonardo DiCaprio, for “One Battle After Another”
“At the end of the day, it’s about trying to be in movies that are memorable. For me, it’s about big ideas and original cinema. The one thing that feels inherent to us as a species is the idea of coming together and experiencing any great piece of music, opera, the communal experience of watching a movie together and catching emotions with a population of people around you.” — DiCaprio said in an interview with AP. DiCaprio is nominated for Best Actor.
Joachim Trier, for “Sentimental Value”
“I’m in Los Angeles actually because I’m trying not to be (the character) Gustav Borg, the father who is always absent, you know, so I have my family with me here for a moment now. And it’s such joyful news that we’re all celebrating and being happy here. We got up very early and we are very, very happy and grateful. It was a very, very happy surprise. I know the other four nominees (for Best Director). I’m a huge admirer of them. I think they are really great. And I’m so honored to be in this group. For me, this is the victory.” — Trier shared with AP. Trier is nominated for Best Director.
Kaouther Ben Hania, for “Sawt Hind Rajab” (“The Voice of Hind Rajab”)
“When I started making this film, my main obsession or idea, because this little girl’s voice wasn’t heard when it was needed, was how to make her voice resonate all over the world. So the fact that we are nominated today is a spotlight that Hind Rajab’s voice needs. So I’m very grateful to the Academy members who voted for this film because they recognize that cinema isn’t always an escape. It can be confrontational. It can be something about the truth, and about what is happening and something we shouldn’t turn away from.” — Ben Hania told AP. Ben Hania’s film is nominated for Best International Feature Film, a category gaining increasing prominence in recent years.
Rose Byrne, for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
“We made the film in 27 days for about $8.50, and it was two takes, maybe three. And the blessing was that, for five weeks, (director Mary Bronstein) and I would meet three times a week and just rehearse. We would just talk through the script, page after page after page. That preparation was a gift. And Mary insisted on it. She was very focused on the performance. And this role was a gift, it was an absolute gift for an actress. I just didn’t want to mess it up.”
Upon receiving the news: “We were in the middle of the night in Australia. I was falling asleep and then (my husband Bobby Cannavale) started FaceTime-ing me (from New York) because he was trying to keep me awake, but it was very late. And then he started screaming, it was like ‘They said your name!’ and then my parents came into the room, they were like ‘Oh my God!’ and then we were all screaming, and that was it. Now I’ve had an adrenaline shot and I’m completely awake.” — Byrne shared with AP. Byrne is nominated for Best Actress.
Amy Madigan, for “Weapons”
“I’m sitting in my little study with the fireplace going… with my little dog, Woody, about fifteen inches from me. He’s looking at me like, ‘Why are we up so early?’ He’s not a morning person and I’m not a morning person unless I’m working. So he’s a little bewildered, but he’s okay.”
“The first time I was nominated was 40 years ago, which gives you an idea of how long I’ve been doing this. And I just keep loving actors and acting, and all the people it takes to make a movie… It’s about the work, ultimately, and I really believe people are responding to the work people are doing and they’re responding to mine, and that feels really good.” — Madigan told AP. Madigan is nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, for “Sentimental Value”
“I hope that people in Norway can also take ownership of this film and that it’s Norwegian, and that in some way it builds this pride in Norwegian cinema. It’s a very complex feeling of pride and joy and happiness. And it’s not just right now, it goes back to when you’re a child, and… you want to be an actor and you hope to be an actor. It’s a very difficult job. And to receive this recognition means a lot to me. We’ve met so many audience members who have been very moved after seeing the film and have shared so many of their personal stories with us and felt they needed to do so in the moment, immediately, and I feel very privileged to have had that experience.” — Lilleaas shared with AP. Lilleaas is nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
Ruth E. Carter, for “Sinners”
“This is a significant step in the development of our voices in Hollywood, and this is a significant step for culture to lead in nominations for my body of work. ‘Malcolm X,’ ‘Amistad,’ ‘Black Panther,’ ‘Wakanda Forever’ and now ‘Sinners.’ My trajectory has been telling the story of culture, and I’m really proud, because history is being erased. Our history is being erased as we speak. And so, to have this responsibility of telling our stories and being as authentic as possible, and being awarded for it is a celebration. I’m grateful to the man that Ryan Coogler was born because he continues to tell stories that are important to the culture.” — Carter told AP. Carter is nominated for Best Costume Design and is now the most-nominated Black woman in Oscar history.
Ludwig Göransson, for “Sinners”
“We woke up to a bunch of incredible and beautiful messages and calls. And it’s very much like a family affair, this film. Everyone on ‘Sinners,’ we’ve been working together for a long time and we’re like a family. What’s cool about this movie, and what’s incredible about this movie, is that it’s about blues music. It’s about a guitarist… Anything we’re listening to today on the radio and from Western culture, you know, wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the blues. Ryan (Coogler) was able to show that in the film and through the film.” — Göransson shared with AP. Göransson is nominated for Best Original Music Score and Original Song for “I Lied to You.”
Diane Warren, for “Dear Me” from “Diane Warren: Relentless”
“It’s amazing. Look, it’s not easy to get nominated. And there are a lot of songs, and from bigger movies, or whatever… I always say this, I really mean it from the heart, that being nominated is winning because these are the best of the best in the fields of film and music who vote for you. And the fact that my song gets their respect means everything to me.” — Warren told AP. Warren is nominated for Best Original Song for “Dear Me,” her 17th nomination.
Liza Marshall, for “Hamnet”
“We’re still astonished by the deep emotional connections people are making with the film. Ultimately, people don’t get up, they sit and watch the credits, because they want a moment in the darkness before going back into the real world. It’s connecting with people on a deep emotional level which is what we always wanted, but it’s so exciting that it’s happening.”
On star Jessie Buckley: “There’s something primal about her. When you watch her, she’s not acting, she’s just being. There are so many moments in the film where you can see the story unfolding on her face, without words. I can’t think of another actor who could do that in that way.” — Marshall told AP. Marshall is a producer on “Hamnet,” nominated for Best Picture.
Alexandre Desplat, for “Frankenstein”
“I’m very happy. It’s great news of the day. It’s (director Guillermo del Toro)’s dream project since he was a child, but it’s also the third movement of a triptych, which starts with ‘The Shape of Water’ (about a) creature, ‘Pinocchio,’ a creature and then ‘Frankenstein,’ the creature. So they are three stories about love, empathy for people who are different. The way Guillermo gave me the space to write music is, I think — (it goes) from a small solo violin to a big symphonic orchestra with chorus — is everything a composer can dream of.” — Desplat shared with AP. Desplat is nominated for Best Original Score.
Nicholas Pike, for “Sweet Dreams Of Joy” from “Viva Verdi!”
“I’m feeling very anxious all of a sudden. But exciting, you know, really exciting. I’m thrilled that a contemporary operatic aria has been nominated, which doesn’t happen very often. I’ve done a couple of documentaries focused on music, and I find them incredibly exciting to work on because they’re about the art form, you know? And so this one in particular is about Verdi and Verdi’s music and the retirement home he built for opera singers and musicians — I mean, what could be more incredible than that?” — Pike told AP. Pike is nominated for Best Original Song for “Sweet Dreams Of Joy”.
Bryce Dessner, for “Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams”
“It’s wonderful news. I’m not going to lie. I’ve won Grammys before, but the Oscars always felt like a completely different world. It’s a really beautiful and small film… and it’s wonderful to have collaborated with Nick Cave on this song for this film. He’s, like, a huge musical influence and hero of mine and of my band, The National. And to be able to do this with him is extra special. ‘Train Dreams’ is a film about grief and loss and human empathy… And I think especially now in the time we’re living in, with so much conflict and suffering in the world, I think a film about empathy and about grief is really something everyone can relate to, no matter where you are.” — Dessner told AP. Dessner is nominated for Best Original Song for “Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams”.
This image published by Focus Features shows Jessie Buckley, center, in a scene from “Hamnet.”
(Agata Grzybowska/AP)
Maggie O’Farrell, for “Hamnet”
“Novelists are solitary creatures. We just sit in our rooms making up stories and never, ever in a million years did I expect this to happen. When (director and co-writer Chloé Zhao) and I first spoke, I said I didn’t want to do it because I’d never written a screenplay before and had moved on to other things, but Chloé is very persuasive. I think as a novelist, you have to go into this process knowing the film will never be a replica of your book. And it shouldn’t be. I think of the book as my baby, and the film as a niece or nephew.” — O’Farrell shared with AP. O’Farrell is nominated alongside Zhao for Best Adapted Screenplay.
