Thomas Hoffmann
While everything seems to be full of charm and the expectation grows with the passing of the hours, in the delivery of the Oscar Awards 2023 there were a series of events, reunions, curiosities and anecdotes with one or more backstories. Some of them have to do with past moments. Others, with present ‘rivalries’. In both cases, they are colorful notes within the most important night of the film industry.
There is no other time when the seventh art celebrates itself as when the Oscar Awards ceremony takes place. Dozens of actors, directors and behind-the-scenes personnel gather together with their families to applaud, recognize their work and careers. Added to this is all the buzz of conversations and reactions that occur on social networks about it.
The Oscar Awards, in their own way, are a party. This one is still criticized for aspects such as its length, the solemn tone with which it approaches situations and an idea of spectacle that, with the passage of time, could have become outdated. In this context, however formal it may be, there are often details that do not go unpunished before the cameras and the spectators, beyond the winners of the night.
Here are seven anecdotes and a couple of curious moments, as part of the Oscar Awards 2023.
The reunion of Tapón and Indy.
In 1984, when it was released Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doomthe film industry got to know, within fiction, Tapón. A child who becomes a key player in the journey that Harrison Ford starred. That little boy, named Ke Huy Quanhad lived in Los Angeles for a few years, then emigrated from South Vietnam and was received in the United States through political asylum.
After Indiana Jones and the Temple of DoomKe Huy Quan had some relevant roles in the industry. But the boy’s dream was short-lived. He stepped aside, waiting for the phone to ring with an offer to play another role. Between 2002 and 2021, he only participated in two productions. But in 2022 he had the opportunity to be part of the cast of Everything at once everywheredirected by by Dan Kwan y Daniel Scheinertin a role that won him the award for “Best Supporting Actor”.
It was in this context that one of the images of the evening occurred, when. Ke Huy Quan and Harrison Ford embraced.. Although they had already coincided during these months in other events, none like the Oscar Award to meet again with old faces; especially if one of them has won a recognition.
John Travolta and the memory
Olivia Newton-John and Kirstie Alley
Prior to the presentation of Lenny Kravitzas part of the In Memoriam dedicated to commemorate the actors who passed away during 2022, John Travolta was in charge of giving a brief speech. Towards the end of his remarks, the performer was moving as he referred to those who are no longer with us.
Over the past year, Olivia Newton-John and Kirstie Alley, two of Travolta’s co-stars on Grease (1978) y Look Who’s Talking (1989), respectively, passed away. In this regard, one of the most poignant phrases said by the actor was the following: “Each of these individuals left an indelible mark on our hearts; they made us smile and became friends.
Absent in the In Memoriam
of the 2023 Oscar Awards
Not all losses were honored. During the In Memoriam names such as the following were omitted:
- Carlos Saura.
- Anne Heche.
- Paul Sorvin.
- Tom Sizemore.
- Charlbi Dean.
Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell,
together again
The protagonists of Four weddings and a funeral were in charge of presenting the award in the category of “Best Production Design“. As part of a decades-long friendship, the two indulged in on-stage banter. Grant mentioned that MacDowell “is still dazzling” while she, leaving details of her black humor, said that the actor’s face was “basically a scrotum”. The entire auditorium burst out laughing at that point.
Angela Bassett’s tension
After the appointment of Jamie Lee Curtis as winner in the category of “Best Supporting Actress“Angela Bassett left one of the most talked-about reactions. Bassett and Lee Curtis were the favorites to win the award.
When one was nominated over the other, the broadcast camera was divided. In this way it was possible to see that Bassett did not express much satisfaction or solidarity with her fellow actress, while the other nominees were more cheerful and complicit with the moment. Angela Bassett had been nominated for her work in Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverwhile Jamie Lee Curtis was for All at once everywhere.
Angela Bassett’s reaction to Jamie Lee Curtis’ name being called…you can tell how much that Oscar would have meant to her. she is, was, and always will be incredible. I better see her on that stage SOON pic.twitter.com/oHDfuDUksG– Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse). March 13, 2023
A donkey on stage
of the 2023 Oscar Awards
One of the strangest moments of the Oscar Awards ceremony occurred when. Jimmy Kimmel he put a donkey on the stage. The presenter allowed himself to take the animal up to suggest that those who were not awarded would at least have the opportunity to hug it. This was a reference to the movie The Spirits of the Island.
The reference to Will Smith
Last year’s ceremony was marked by the slap in the face that Will Smith gave Chris Rockin one of the most surprising moments in the history of the event. About this, Jimmy Kimmel made the following comment:
“We want them to have fun, feel safe and, most importantly, we want me to feel safe. If anyone commits an act of violence, they will be given an Oscar and a 19-minute speech. Promise. If what happened last year happens, do nothing. Just like last year. Or give the aggressor a hug.”
Jimmy Kimmel, during the 2023 Oscar Awards ceremony.
Other eye-catching moments
at the 2023 Oscar Awards ceremony.
Before it was known who the winners of the 2023 Oscar Awards were, a couple of curious situations occurred. The first one has to do with Lady Gaga, who arrived, began to parade for the various photojournalists to have their images, until the actress and singer interrupted her passage. She looked back and went back to help a photographer who had fallen.
On the other side, one of the actors of the moment, Pedro Pascaldid not go unnoticed. The interpreter was at the Oscar Awards 2023 ceremony, allowing himself to make some jokes in front of the camera and accompanying his sister. Javiera Balmaceda Pascal. She was part of the work team of Argentina 1985nominated in the “Best Foreign Film” category.
The presence of the actor and his sister led to one of the most talked about anecdotes in Latin America, when actress Salma Hayek approached them, almost running, to take a picture together. Nowadays, Pedro Pascal is one of the most visible faces in the industry, due to his work in The Mandalorian y The Last of Us.