1.Joaquin Phoenix Best Actor for Joker Oscar Acceptance Speech
“Hi. What’s up? Hi. God, I’m full of so much gratitude right now and I do not feel elevated above any of my fellow nominees or anyone in this room, because we share the same love, the love of film, and this form of expression has given me the most extraordinary life. I don’t know what I’d be without it.
But I think the greatest gift that it has given me, and many of us in this room, is the opportunity to use our voice for the voiceless. I’ve been thinking a lot about some of the distressing issues that we are facing collectively, and I think at times we feel or are made to feel that we champion different causes. But for me, I see commonality.
I think whether we’re talking about gender inequality or racism or queer rights or indigenous rights or animal rights, we’re talking about the fight against injustice — against the belief that one nation, one race, one gender or one species has the right to dominate, control, and use and exploit another with impunity.
I think that we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world and many of us, what we’re guilty of is an egocentric worldview — the belief that we’re the center of the universe. We go into the natural world and we plunder it for its resources. We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow, and when she gives birth, we steal her baby. Even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. And then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.
And I think we fear the idea of personal change because we think that we have to sacrifice something to give something up but human beings, at our best, are so inventive and creative and ingenious, and I think that when we use love and compassion as our guiding principles, we can create, develop, and implement systems of change that are beneficial to all sentient beings and to the environment.
Now, I have been — I’ve been a scoundrel in my life. I’ve been selfish, I’ve been cruel at times, hard to work with. And I’m grateful [to] so many of you in this room [who] have given me a second chance and I think that’s when we’re at our best, when we support each other, not when we cancel each other out for past mistakes, but when we help each other to grow, when we educate each other, when we guide each other toward redemption. That is the best of humanity.
I just — I want to — when he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric. He said, ‘Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.’ Thank you.”
2.Bong Joon Ho Best Director for Parasite Oscar Acceptance Speech
“Thank you. After winning best international feature, I thought I was done for the day and was ready to relax.
Thank you so much. When I was young and studying cinema, there was a saying that I carved deep into my heart, which is that “The most personal is the most creative.”
That quote is from our great Martin Scorsese. When I was in school, I studied Martin Scorsese’s films. Just to be nominated was a huge honor. I never thought I would win.
When people in the U.S. were not familiar with my films, Quentin [Tarantino] always put my films on his list. He’s here, thank you so much. Quentin, I love you.
And Todd [Phillips] and Sam [Mendes], great directors that I admire. If the Academy allows, I would like to get a Texas chainsaw, split the award into five and share it with all of you.
Thank you. I will drink until next morning, thank you.”
3.Brad Pitt Best Supporting Actor for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Oscar Acceptance Speech
This is incredible, really incredible. They told me I only had 45 seconds this year, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week,” the actor said, referring to the lack of witnesses during the recent Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. “I’m thinking maybe Quentin [Tarantino] does a movie about it. In the end, the adults do the right thing.”
Pitt then continued to thank his director for being “original” and “one of a kind.” “The film industry would be a much drier place without you,” he said to Tarantino. As for his Once Upon a Time in Hollywood co-star Leonardo DiCaprio, Pitt said he would “ride on your coattails any day.”
The actor explained that his Oscar win made him nostalgic, as he was quick to remember his parents taking him to a drive-in to see Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. “And Geena [Davis] and Ridley [Scott] giving me my first shot, to all the wonderful people I met along the way to stand here now,” said Pitt before appropriately ending his train of thought with, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood … ain’t that the truth.”
Pitt thanks his kids who “color everything I do.”
Backstage Pitt said, “I was really disappointed with this week. I think when gamesmanship trumps doing the right thing … I don’t think we should let that slide. I’m very serious about that.”