The Whale star Brendan Fraser won best actor, a role which saw the 54-year-old actor taking on a new set of physical challenges, wearing a heavy bodysuit, prosthetics and makeup. “I’m grateful to Darren Aronofsky for throwing me a creative lifeline and hauling me aboard the good ship, The Whale, said Fraser in accepting the Oscar.
Michelle Yeoh was named best actress for her starring role in Everything Everywhere. “For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that dream big and dreams do come true,” Yeoh said while accepting her award. “And ladies, don’t let anybody ever tell you you are past your prime.”
Ke Huy Quan, a onetime child star who gave up acting for two decades, and Hollywood veteran Jamie Lee Curtis won supporting actor and actress for their roles in the offbeat Everything Everywhere.
A German remake of World War One epic All Quiet On The Western Front won best international feature.
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel opened the 95th Academy Awards with a monologue that jokingly admonished the stars filling the Dolby Theatre to behave, a year after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage but was allowed to remain in the venue to accept the award for best actor minutes later.
“We know this is a special night for you,” Kimmel told the crowd of Hollywood luminaries. “We want you to have fun, we want you to feel safe, and, most important, we want me to feel safe.”
Kimmel, who was cheekily promoted ahead of Sunday’s telecast as an “unflappable, unslappable” Oscar host, then went on to give a mock recitation of “strict policies in place” to prevent a repeat of last year’s incident.
“If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point during this show, you will be awarded the Oscar for best actor and permitted to give a 19-minute speech,” he deadpanned to hearty but somewhat awkward laughter.
“If anything unpredictable or violent happens during the ceremony, just sit there and do what you did last year, nothing,” Kimmel added. “Maybe even give the assailant a hug.”
