Reactions of the Oscar Nominees
Im always one to completely deny that anything good is going to happen. While I was trying to play it cool, when I heard (director) Jason (Reitman)s name I screamed. Weve been playing the texting game all morning. You never expect this. Its unbelievable. One of the reasons I adored this film was that when reading the screenplay I could tell how refreshing it was. Its about a teenager you havent seen before. Hard Candy helped me immensely. Im grateful for that film.
– Ellen Page, actress, Juno
The thing with the Coens is they know how to make something so unique. They take complex things, turn it around and make it simple. I really relied on them. In the book, theres no physical description of my character. As an actor, I get lost a lot of times. Im hired to get lost, but youre protected once you get lost and thats what the Coens are good at. A Coen brothers movie comes with a label of quality.
– Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Im appreciative that they allowed me back in the building (the Kodak). If Im fortunate enough to stand on that stage again, I will be true to myself and very gracious and grateful for the acknowledgement, but I would start by finishing the last 10 seconds of the previous speech. I would thank my wardrobe designer and hair stylist. This film cuts off through political lines. There are 50 million people without healthcare. Over the last 1 1/2 hours, Ive gotten 200 emails from the public telling me how theyre suffering. They see this as their film too. Theres hope out there. The candidates are talking about this issue.
– Michael Moore, Sicko
“The picture lives in the hearts of the people that love it and I'm super happy I made it. I'm not big on having parties so I'm just going to have dinner with friends tonight. I just hope that the powers that be will get with Writer' Guild and work things out so we can have an Oscar show because there's some wonderful work that deserves to be recognized. Making art is an act of peace so if we cant fix Hollywood, how are we gonna fix the Middle East”
– Julian Schnabel, director, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
Its still a surprise and Im so happy for our three noms and to share this with. We were well prepared for this film. It was a very creative time for all of us. It took a little while to find the right balance between the make up and light and soon as we saw the pictures, we knew it was OK.”
-Marion Cotillard, actress, La Vie en Rose
“It's really exciting and its a real honor to be a part of this great tradition. Growing up, you see a lot of amazing people winning awards and I'd never even considered it a possibility for myself, so it's kind of a surprise.
– Casey Affleck, supporting actor, “The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford”
“It's the most wonderful feeling. I probably sound really boring because it's the same thing that happened with the Golden Globes but I was sleeping and my dad screamed and started shouting for us and I came downstairs thinking 'there's a chance that maybe I was nominated for an Oscar.' I'm really proud of all the guys, Seamus McGarvey in particular because he's Irish. I'm Irish and I can't believe this is happening to an Irish person. Ronan was calling from New Zealand where she's shooting “The Lovely Bones” for director Peter Jackson. “It's the most beautiful place I've been to and I've only been here for two days. It's 3:30 in the morning so we'll celebrate later. We might get fish 'n chips because I hear they're really good here, but it won't be anything too posh. We weren't expecting this so we're gonna go to the local supermarket and get the nicest bottle of champagne that we can. I might have a sip or two.”
– Saoirse Ronan, supporting actress, “Atonement”
Our film is the story of a dying police officer who wants to give her pension to her partner. She died and never got to see the film. I spoke to her surviving partner today, and she was very emotional. Her case changed the law in parts of New Jersey and the elected official who was against it is now running for Congress, so its still very much in the press. Our hope is we can make a difference in the elections. We have to tell this story. Hopefully the Oscar nomination will bring more awareness to couples around the country.
– Cynthia Wade, Freeheld, documentary short subject
“I had forgotten about the nominations and was walking the dog. Then someone told me to turn on the TV and I saw it. I got this character from the start. The first time I saw the film I was in Germany and took a few people with me. Everybody was blown away by it. Its just a good film. No two ways about it.
– Tom Wilkinson, supporting actor, Michael Clayton
“No one is more surprised than I am. Michelle and I were in bed and put on CNN. We just wanted to hear Diablo and Ellens name. By the time they got to director, I wanted them to go faster to get to best picture. When they announced my name, I just stopped short and was in a state of shock. We ended up screaming so much my neighbor knocked on my door. My dad called me. Last year I had a decent shot at screenplay for Thank You for Smoking and my father called me heartbroken. This year he was crying. He was so proud and so overcome. I dont think I wouldve understood his reaction before having children myself.
-Jason Reitman, director, Juno
Its been incredible. I would describe this day as effervescent. I fell out of my bed screaming when Jason got nominated. With all our nominations, this would be a 4-by-4 if we were at In-N-Out Burger. Seeing us take our place alongside films like No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood is pretty good company. Im thrilled to have this happen so early in my career and excited to do more.
-Diablo Cody, original screenplay, Juno
“It's overwhelming. It's been about eight years since the very first meeting when we first pitched this thing. You sort of guard against getting too up about yourself and up about your movie but we've been on the trail since August when we went to Venice. I'm feeling a little swamped so I doubt I'm gonna be at my most articulate this morning, but it's a good kind of swamped.” And as a member of both the WGA and DGA, Gilroy talked about the deal the director's guild struck last week. “I think that everybody's still looking the deal over. I'm not that interested in hearing too many opinions about it. I'm interested in hearing what the leadership of my guild has to say about it. I'm hopeful, but I'm not jumping up and down.”
– Tony Gilroy, dual nominee for director and original screenplay for “Michael Clayton”
It's very thrilling. Earning eight nominations is great and it's really a testament to the cast and crew. It's hugely exciting considering all the great movies there were this year,” said Sellar. “It's great! After years of making films with Paul [Thomas Anderson] it's exciting to get such recognition. We've done four films together so it's pretty cool to be with the same team film after film and have this happen. The great thing about it is that its a real California film, so I'm excited for all those guys and it's pretty great getting so many technical nominations,” said Lupi.
-Daniel Lupi and JoAnne Sellar, husband-and-wife producting team, “There Will Be Blood”
“It's really nice that “La Vie” got three nominations, especially since France didn't select it as their foreign-language entry. We bought the film two years ago from a 10-minute scene we saw at Cannes and honestly, we felt like we'd be here since that moment. Marion is probably the least known (nominee in the actress category) and she looks so different than she does in the movie so it'll be exciting for her to get the attention she deserves. “Mongol” is our beautiful film about Genghis Khan. It's really amazing and the director, Sergei Bodrov, did a beautiful job. It's got action but it's also a love story.
I'm in Sundance until tomorrow so we'll celebrate by watching more films in the dark. I know Marion's in Los Angeles and she's celebrating there but the champagne was flowing early over in Paris. Sergei was in Moscow and he called me too, but they were probably drinking vodka over there.
– Bob Berney, president of Picturehouse whose “Mongol” and “La Vie en rose” earned one and three nominations, respectively
“I'm pretty elated. This is my third nomination and I'm more excited about this one than the other two and I dont know why. It's such a difficult subject to do and to get this nomination is amazing. The astonishing audience and critical response has been really rewarding. Its momentum has been unexpected and it has taken me completely by surprise but it's been constant since November and it has just built to this amazing moment today. Now I just want this strike to be over.”
– Ronald Harwood, adapted screenplay “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
“What Im happiest about is that animation is seen and enjoyed as much as other films. No matter what the medium is, youre telling stories. The fact that the Academy sees animation as storytelling is wonderful. With Ratatouille, my involvement came late and there was pressure to get difficult challenges solved. There were still questions, storywise, to be answered. It was kind of like the train was going to leave the station and I had to figure out where it was going to end up.
– Brad Bird, producer, Ratatouille
It feels wonderful. Im over the moon and began jumping around the room when it was announced. The long shot during the war was the hook for the film photographically speaking and something that we were very proud of. It was a really challenging film to shoot but one of the most enjoyable experience Ive ever had.
– Seamus McGarvey, cinematographer, Atonement
It's especially fun for someone like me with three kids who love the movie. It's great to see Brad (Bird) nominated because we've been friends since The Incredibles. I'm just so happy for him because hes one of the best filmmakers in town and I feel so lucky to work with him.”
– Michael Giacchino, original score, “Ratatouille”
I woke up this morning and had time to eat all my nails. I always wanted to make this for everyone. You have to make it personal. I didnt want it to become an ethnic story. I wanted to show the humanity. No matter where you come from, it has to be an individual story. Making it in live action would be a big mistake. It would lose something.
– Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis
Its a bit of a surprise for us. Im feeling great. I was in bed and the phone rang. I thought it was an alarm to get the kids to school. The summer was tough. We got clobbered at the box office but to get the notice of our peers is nice. A lot of lay people are pretty savvy about animation now, way more than it was three years ago.
– Chris Buck, director, Surfs Up
I was on the phone with my business partner and began jumping around with my son and husband after we heard. As indie producers, were so naturally pessimistic, so we were completely stunned. The film is unexpected and doesnt fit any genre. I also think (director) Jason (Reitman)s nomination is the big shock.
– Lianne Halfon, producer, Juno
“I woke up kind of early this morning and thought it wasn't going to happen so I rolled over to go back to bed and then the phone rang. The recognition is really nice and I feel like I got a lot of support from my peers. The composers are pretty solitary people but all along people said they were rooting for me so I appreciate that. It's almost more important than the nomination itself.”
– Marco Beltrami, original score, “3:10 to Yuma”
“It's insane. God, what a day it's been! I'd like to say I was out having a walk and wasn't bothered and took it all in stride but the truth is I didn't sleep last night and we just killed time until it came on TV, but then they only announced the major categories. We're in the Czech Republic so my friend in the States called me and we couldn't believe it. We were jumping up and down. It was hugely melodramatic and Irish. We cracked a bottle of champagne and got drunk before 3:00. It was only in the shower I realized what a riot this has been. We made the film in January 2006. We went to Sundance and won an award in January 2007 and now we have an Oscar nomination so I'm thinking January is my lucky month.
-Glen Hansard, original song “Once” from Falling Slowly
“I'm very lucky to have the opportunity to work on both these films. How many people can count themselves so lucky I'm in New York shooting “Doubt” right now, so I was on set doing exteriors and we had some down time while waiting for clouds. “Jesse James” was much more melancholic and poetic and obviously period, whereas “No Country” is much more direct and angrier and a more naturalistic, modern piece. I used wider lenses for “No Country” to give it a much more vivid style, not to be pretentious about it. ”
– Roger Deakins, dual nominee for cinematography for “No Country for Old Men” and “The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford”
Im kind of shell-shocked. Weve been very calm and zen about it but we were hopeful. Our film is about a beauty pagaent in a womens prison in Colombia. We follow these four women and whats tragic about the project is the woman who wins the pageant is killed on the streets of Bogota.
– Amanda Micheli, documentary short subject, La Corona (The Crown)
Am I surprised That would be an understatement. This is a pretty good day. I would like to think that in this film, somebody can get a basic understanding of the important things of what happened in Iraq. Theres basically been a deafening silence from the Administration and conversative media. I think the reason for it is that the film is right and they know that it is right and the last thing they want to do is bring attention to it.
– Charles Ferguson, director, No End in Sight
Theres no other movie out there like it. Its a lush period epic and it hits peoples romantic buttons. I was disappointed for (director) Joe (Wright) but was enheartened by the fact that a best picture means its for everyone who worked on the film.
– Paul Webster, producer Atonement
“It's so exciting! I'm in the Bowery Hotel in New York prepping Tony Gilroy's next film. I'm so happy, I'm jumping on the bed by myself. I'm still just in shock and awe of all of this. You don't go into this thinking all of this will happen, you just try to make a great movie. We've reassembled many members of our Michael Clayton team for the new film — John Gilroy, Robert Elswit, Kevin Thompson, our line producer Kerry Orent, our AD team, our production manager — we're in the same office that we made Michael Clayton out of, so we'll be celebrating together, which is nice.”
– Jennifer Fox, producer, Michael Clayton
“Its a huge surprise but the whole year has beeen a huge surprise, beginning with Sundance. We tried to make this a personal film. It could be one of your own kids. Africa has gotten put into a category: child soldiers, famine, AIDS What we tried to do is blow the lid off that and tell people this is different than what youve seen in the news. We asked these kids who didnt have a voice to share their stories and words.
– Sean Fine, Andrea Nix, co-directors, documentary feature War/Dance
It was a tough project for all of us, but at the end of the day it really came together. The script was in flux as we were working and the piece evolved as we shot within the normal time constraints. Working with Paul (Greengrass), we have an unspoken communication and I look at his dailies and know what hes after. Similarly he gives me freedom to try different things. Its a healthy working dynamic.
– Christopher Rouse, editor, The Bourne Ultimatum
Both of us are really surprised. We're thrilled that the film got a best picture nomination and we're really excited for Saoirse [Ronan]. We're actually on our way to the set of (Joe Wright's) The Soloist and we're shooting til midnight but I'm sure we'll have a little celebration tonight. It's a shame Joe wasn't nominated because without him, none of us would have any nominations, but it's only his second feature so I'm sure he'll be back.”
– Set decorator Katie Spencer, nominated for art direction along with Sarah Greenwood for “Atonement”
