By Belén Yudess ’25 and Clara Ann Bagnoli ’28
Copy Editor and Design Editor
This year, The Academy whisked us away through an array of decades, to lands far far away, and Hungary. Although this year’s Oscars were not infused with the same Kenergy as the 2024 ceremony, they delivered impressive amounts of controversy and TikTok trends.
The 97th Oscars were held on March 2 and hosted by comedian and late-night host Conan O’Brien in the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. Here are our hopes and dreams for the winners and the (sometimes stunning) realities for this year’s stars!
Best Picture prediction: Wicked
Although I am defying reality with this prediction, as Wicked will most likely not be as popular compared to the other nominees, I really do wish they would dance their way to success. As a glass-closeted theatre kid, it would be remiss for me not to tip my (pointy) hat towards the outlandishly talented vocal abilities of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the captivating performances by quintuple-threat (stage-actor, on-screen actor, dancer, singer, gay) Johnathan Bailey, and the overall striking cinematography throughout the film.
Wicked is just the next of a whole line of movie adaptations of successful musicals (can we give it up for Lin Manuel Miranda on that one), but I truly believe this decision was for the better. Erivo and Grande’s homoerotic yearning glances made it clear that there was a lot of trust (and space) held between them, especially during Glinda’s moments of vulnerability and Elphaba’s tragic yet triumphant realization of her villainization and the freedom it provided.
Although this point has prompted discourse since the movie’s release, Wicked also does a good job of introducing how quickly hate towards difference can spread through communities and the dangers of believing dominant narratives without question. As Wicked appeals to a very wide audience, many of whom are young viewers at the crux of beginning to grasp racism, xenophobia, and bigotry as a whole, it is vital that films expose these realities rather than tone them down for the sake of palatability.
Ultimately, Wicked was a superb showing of the magic behind the curtain of musical theatre and a rare example of excellent casting in an adaptation!
Reality: Anora
Best Actor prediction: Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown
A Complete Unknown is a Bob Dylan biopic yet it does not follow the genre’s usual telling of a musician’s childhood and beginnings as an artist since Dylan has never been forthcoming with such information, as explained in the film with his false references to growing up in the circus. Instead, the movie introduces audiences to a 22 year old Dylan living in New York City and trying to break into the folk scene.
Chalamet prepared for this role for over the course of five years by learning to play guitar and sing, and working with dialect coaches to perfect the famous Bob-like rasp. Thank goodness for this preparation as the soundtrack for the movie, completely sung by Chalamet himself, was made available to listeners. As a special treat for fans, a video of the actor in his Dune II costume playing the guitar was shared in an interview with Stephen Colbert.
Chalamet did not exactly allow us to enter into the musician’s mind but did an excellent job portraying the frustration and angst that comes with pushing musical boundaries. The uncanny resemblance Chalamet has to his role, a skinny, sometimes awkward artist with dark brown curls, also did not hurt the portrayal.
Reality: Adrian Brody in The Brutalist
Best Actress prediction: Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance.
To make an easy prediction, Demi Moore has already swept award seasons with her receival of a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) award and a Golden Globe for her leading role as Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance. These are Moore’s first awards for her acting career and as she said in her Golden Globes speech, she made the decision to take on this movie after almost quitting acting entirely. Moore has had a long and prominent career starting with her breakout role in Ghost in 1990.
Moore gave an astounding portrayal of frustration with aging and an urgent need for control over one’s beauty. Her character reflects the societal position she occupies as an aging celebrity. However, Sparkle deals with her vexation with the media’s thirst for young blood through a black market injection that creates a younger body double of herself. The film borders on science fiction but serves as an appropriate commentary on the lengths women are forced to go to for reaching the beauty standard.
Reality: Mikey Madison in Anora
Best Actor in a Supporting Role prediction: Ed Norton as Pete Seegar in A Complete Unknown
Norton brings some experience to the category this year. He has no Oscar wins thus far, but does have four prior Oscar nominations under his belt. The Fight Club actor has been in the business for over 30 years and brings a certain stability to Chalamet’s greenness.
Pete Seager is not only the sweet, advice-giving, banjo-playing dad in A Complete Unknown, but also a fierce anti-mccarthyist and activist for the labor movement. In the film he serves to represent what folk music was at the time of the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, pleading with Dylan to keep from introducing electric guitar to the genre.
Reality: Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain
Best Supporting Actress prediction: Zoë Saldaña as Rita Mora Castro in Emilia Perez
Viewers may be used to seeing actress Zoë Saldaña in a blue or green paint for her sci-fi roles of Gamora and Neyriti in Guardians of the Galaxy and Avatar respectively. This awards season, Saldaña was the glue that kept the rocky movie of Emilia Perez together. On top of being an awkward combination of musical, drama, and crime stories, the film has received many criticisms for being a misrepresentation of transgender and Mexican communities. For example, Saldaña’s character goes to Switzerland to inquire about gender-affirming surgeries for her client and sings “La Vaginoplastia,” a wildly musicalized conversation about such surgeries.
In this role, the actress steps into the spotlight, sometimes literally, and takes audiences into the life of an overworked public defender in Mexico. She has already received a Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG award for the role and is highly favored for the Oscar. Saldaña learned how to rap for the role and did a stellar job riffing off the lyrics to the Oscar-nominated soundtrack. Reality: Zoë Saldaña
Photo Courtesy of NPR
