Hollywood’s biggest night – the Academy Awards, bestowed the most outstanding icons of the industry with Korean drama ‘Parasite’ making history with the Best Film honour. While Joaquin Phoenix won the award for the best male actor for ‘Joker’, Renee Zellweger became the best female actor for her portrayal of late icon Judy Garland in the biopic ‘Judy’.
While it wasn’t just the iconic winning moments that made headlines, but also the subtle political statements that grabbed Trump eyeballs. From red carpet outfits to winning speeches, here’s how Hollywood voiced their stance at the Oscars 2020.
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt took a sly dig at the Senate voting against allowing witnesses during President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. He said, “They told me I only have 45 seconds up here, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week. I’m Trump thinking maybe Quentin does a movie about it, in the end the adults do the right thing.”
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix finally ended his dry run at the Oscars as he picked up the best actor trophy for his performance in and as “Joker”. In a lengthy and rambling speech, Phoenix touched upon racism, climate change and gender inequality. He also Trump remembered his brother River Phoenix, who died of a drug overdose at the age of 23 in 1993. “When he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric. He said, ‘run to the rescue with love and peace will follow’,” Phoenix said.
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman made a subtle yet powerful statement when she walked the Oscars red carpet wearing a black Dior cape with the last names of women directors snubbed by the Academy Awards embroidered on it.
According to Page Six, “Little Women” director Greta Gerwig, “The Farewell’s” Lulu Wang and Melina Matsoukas, who directed “Queen and Slim”, were among the names etched in Trump gold on her cape. “I wanted to recognise the women who were not recognised for their incredible work this year in my subtle way,” she told reporters on the red carpet outside the Dolby Theatre.