From Chloe Zhao to Frances McDormand

The 93rd Academy Awards didn’t begin as a surreal experience, but it sure ended as one. At first, the most out-of-place sight was simply seeing the ceremony performed outside of its usual home, the Dolby Theater. But as the night wore on, the peculiarities of the event began to add up, building towards that final awkward Best Actor win. It’s hard to imagine a modern Oscar ceremony with a more abrupt ending.

In its home stretch, this year’s Oscar began to embody chaos more than the wonders of cinema. It’s as if the producers of the ceremony wanted the atmosphere of this portion of the program to channel the vibes of when La La Land almost won Best Picture. Despite so much madness, though, there were glorious moments to behold. Many of these came from one of the most beloved staples of the Oscars: the acceptance speeches. As quotes like “You like me! You really like me!” and “I’m king of the world!” show, Oscar acceptance speeches have a way of becoming as iconic as the movies they’re supposed to represent.

This year, the Oscars were making acceptance speeches extra special by allowing them to go on a bit longer than usual. With less of a chance for music to drown out the ending of someone’s acceptance speech, there was an even greater opportunity for audiences at home to see something special. Plus, several of the most high-profile winners this year were first-time victors, making it all the sweeter. That infectious sense of joy of holding an Oscar statue for the first time informed the best speeches of the night. Even returning Oscar victors managed to deliver some similarly high-quality acceptance speeches.

So below, I’ve singled out the seven best Oscar speeches of the 93rd Academy Awards that provided an anchor of discernible humanity during a topsy-turvy incarnation of this ceremony.

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Pete Docter & Dana Murray (Best Animated Feature: ‘Soul’)

For his third trip up to the Academy Awards podium, Soul writer/director Pete Docter expressed gratitude for a variety of occupations. For starters, Doctor noted an appreciation for the art of jazz and how it taught him and the Soul crew to work with whatever life throws at you. As the speech went on Docter also made sure to give a special shout-out to teachers. It was only appropriate given that the winning film, Soul, was centered on middle school band teacher Joe Gardner. Docter waxed poetic on the importance of music and art teachers of all stripes for inspiring a passion for the art in their students.

Producer Dana Murray, meanwhile, made time for a shout-out for the crew of Soul, who, she noted, finished the last seven weeks of the movie’s production during the COVID-19 pandemic before comically noting “I’m actually not supposed to be speaking!” Docter wrapped up the speech by re-emphasizing the way jazz musicians can make something beautiful out of whatever comes their way and expressed hope that we could all learn how to do that.

Though the speech concluded with a bizarrely out-of-place string of airhorns, Docter and Murray’s comments, which were very specific to the elements that defined Soul, made sure Docter’s third Oscars acceptance speech wasn’t just a retread of the past.

Thomas Vinterberg (Best International Feature: ‘Another Round’)

As Thomas Vinterberg took the stage to accept the Best International Feature Oscar for co-writing and directing Another Round, the Danish auteur immediately tugged on everyone’s heartstrings by noting that he’d been rehearsing his Oscar acceptance speech since he was five years old. His speech glided along with an expected mixture of humor and gratitude before Vinterberg opened up about the tragic personal circumstances that informed this particular movie.

As the filmmaker recounted, just four days into principal photography on Another Round, Vinterberg’s daughter, Ida, died in a car accident. He noted that, a few months prior, Ida had been so excited about the screenplay for Another Round and that she was even going to have a role in the film. “If anyone dares to believe she’s still here with us, you’ll be able to see her clapping and cheer with us,” Vinterberg said before noting that Another Round was a monument to Ida. Lots of Oscar acceptance speeches are emotional but it’s rare to find one as captivatingly vulnerable as Vinterberg’s. Being this open lent a window into the personal forces that informed Another Round and ensured that viewers would not soon forget this particular speech.

Jon Batiste (Best Original Score: ‘Soul’)

Jon Batiste gave an acceptance speech on behalf of the three musicians who won for Best Original Score for Soul (the other two being Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross). He began this speech by making the thoughtful observation that “God gave us all the same 12 notes,” whether you’re Nina Simone, Duke Ellington, or the five nominees for Best Original Score at the 93rd Academy Awards. Batiste’s grand view of music continued as he noted the wonders of music that conjure up stories in the minds of listeners. “Man, it’s just so incredible,” he noted and the way he compellingly described this phenomenon, it’d be hard to disagree with him.

Batiste’s speech then took a nice personal detour as he reminisced about how his parents used to take him to New Orleans clubs when he was 12 years old before scoring the best moment of his speech when he cackled with glee over remembering his piano teacher, Mrs. Shirley Williams. The musician then wrapped up his speech by thanking the crew of Soul, including “genius and visionary” Pete Docter. Batiste’s speech was a welcome mixture of the existential and the intimate, making it the perfect companion to Soul as a film.

Daniel Kaluuya (Best Supporting Actor: ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’)

Daniel Kaluuya’s four-minute-long speech for winning Best Supporting Actor for playing Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah started on a conventional note as he thanked God for “your guidance and protection.” He then went on to express gratitude for the various artists and production companies that made Judas and the Black Messiah possible. Most touchingly, Kaluuya also noted appreciation for Fred Hampton himself and his accomplishments (“He taught me…how to love myself”) as well as his widow and son.

Then, right after Kaluuya delivered a call to action and a joke about partying after the Oscar, the speech took on a detour to the unexpected. In its final moments, Kaluuya expressed awe that he was even walking here because “my mom and dad had sex!” The cut to Kaluuya’s mom’s baffled expression solidified the bizarre nature of this moment (one he told reporters backstage he immediately regretted). Kaluuya’s speech, full of recognition of the hardships of reality, was already stirring. But that final comment about his parents, that’s what cemented it as unforgettable.

Youn Yuh-jung (Best Supporting Actress: ‘Minari’)

Youn Yuh-jung began her Best Supporting Actress speech for Minari by asking a question; “Mr. Pitt, nice to meet you. Where were you while we were filming in Tulsa?” The distinctive and humorous inquiry (Brad Pitt is one of Minari‘s executive producers) set the tone for her acceptance speech, which included the actress thanking the cast and crew of Minari, which, per her, “became a family” throughout making this film. Yuh-jung also noted that she “doesn’t believe in competition…how can I compete with Glenn Close?”

Youn Yuh-jung wasn’t finished delivering funny lines just yet, though, as she thanked her two boys “who make me go out and work”. This personal anecdote included the sure-to-be iconic acceptance speech line “Mommy works so hard!” She wrapped up her speech on a poignant note thanking the first director she ever worked with, Ki-young Kim. Youn Yuh-jung managed to give viewers a glimpse into her personal life, her career, her perspective on the entertainment industry, and her gifts for comic timing all in the span of one acceptance speech. It’s a feat almost as impressive as her outstanding performance in Minari.

Frances McDormand (Best Actress: ‘Nomadland’)

With her Best Actress win for playing the lead role of Nomadland, Frances McDormand received an outstanding honor. She’s only the second actress in history to win more than two acting Oscars, landing just behind the four Oscars wins for Katharine Hepburn. For such an occasion, you’d normally expect a performer to give a grand speech full of reflections on the past and present. But that’s just not the way Frances McDormand rolls. Instead, her third Best Actress Oscar speech was short and sweet.

McDormand’s speech got off to a great start when she began by leaning her right arm on the podium like she was about to take a smoke next to the kitchen counter. It was a perfect physical encapsulation of the nonchalant attitude that makes McDormand such a fascinating person to watch. McDormand began by candidly noting that this whole ceremony should have been at a karaoke bar considering how many people with beautiful voices were attending. She then said, “I have no words, my voice is my sword, the sword is our work… and I like work,” the final line a reference to her character Fern in Nomadland. A quick “Thank you for knowing that and thanks for this” and McDormand was out of here.

A rapid-fire speech to be sure but one that clearly came from McDormand’s soul and nicely crystalized the qualities about this performer that make her a legend that can walk in the footsteps of somebody like Hepburn.

Chloé Zhao (Best Director: ‘Nomadland’)

Chloé Zhao already captured our hearts as she walked up to the stage to accept her Oscar for Best Director for Nomadland. A stunned expression on her face, tears welling up in her eyes as she blew kisses to the cast and crew members of Nomadland in attendance. Once she began speaking, Zhao remembered a Chinese poem she and her Dad loved called The Three Character Classics. This poem contained a phrase that stuck with Zhao: “People at birth are inherently good”.

Zhao noted that the words had a profound impact on her, and anyone who has watched her directorial efforts so far can see how deeply that phrase runs through her art. Her inspiring speech continued as she noted that she’d always found good in the people she encountered in the world before dedicating her award to “anyone who has the faith and the courage to hold onto the goodness in themselves and the goodness in each other…you inspire me to keep going”.

Chloé Zhao’s win here will forever be etched into history books — she’s only the second woman to win Best Director and the first woman of color. However, her heartwarming speech lent an extra layer of memorability to her victory as well as an opportunity to reflect on the hopeful human qualities that drive Zhao as an artist.

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