They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Here's The Media Guy's journey and perspective backstage at the 84th Academy Awards with eight pictures and about 700 words including interview excerpts and intimate insights.
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Jean Dujardin and Uggie the dog. photo credit: Richard Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.
BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW EXCERPT
Jean Dujardin, winner of the Oscar for Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
The Artist
Q. ...with your great success in this silent movie, are you concerned with the effort to make a transition into talkies?
A. In
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Tom Cruise congratulates Meryl Streep. Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S.
BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW EXCERPT
Meryl Streep, winner of the Oscar for Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
The Iron Lady
Q. In your very moving speech this evening, you mentioned jokingly we might all be sick of you in the future. I hope that doesn't happen, but it seems like you have the beginning of a second project in life with The Women's Museum. Would you talk a little bit about that?
A. Thank you for asking about that. There is no national women's history museum, but there is a lot of history that is not written about the contributions of women in our country and around the world. And I think it would be really, really inspiring for people all around the world to have this fantastic center where you can learn the stuff that hasn't been written about women, because for many, many centuries, history was not interested in us. And yet, and our history is invisible and I think it would be great for boys and girls to go to a place where they could learn about the contributions of their foremothers as well as their forefathers.
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Christopher Plummer just after accepting his award. Photo credit: Richard Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.
BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW EXCERPT
Christopher Plummer, winner of the Oscar for Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Beginners
Q. I'm curious how you look back at awards of any kind, specifically, the two nominations and now the first Oscar win. In terms of a measure of a career, because it's, obviously, not the reason you do things, but what kind of dessert topping does it put on a distinguished career?
A. That's absolutely a wonderful phrase. It is a le creme on top, and it's lovely to be sort of accepted, because you know that beyond the pleasure of working in front of a live audience, particularly, it's a general acceptance of your work. So it's thrilling, and I don't pretend not to poo poo awards, although there's so many of them, I can't keep up. I mean, they're inventing a new one every day.
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Christian Bale with Octavia Spencer after presenting her the Oscar for Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. photo credit: Richard Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.
BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW EXCERPT
Octavia Spencer, winner of the Oscar for Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
The Help
Q. Can you explain how did they help you to do that or you know what your cast really meant to you when you said your family really meant to you?
A. Well, it's very rare that you have the type of ensemble that we had. You know, you don't get all the Academy Award nominee winners and Cecily Tyson, Mary Steenburgen, Sissy Spacek, Viola Davis coming together to do a project. And then you have the collaboration of Academy Award nominees behind the scenes. We just left our egos at the door and worked together as one beautiful unit from Emma, Viola, Bryce, Allison Janney. I mean, it was an award winning cast. So to be a part of that and to just sort of dissolve into the world that we were representing is something that we're supposed to do as actors but it was rare that we did it without judgment with each other.
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Oscar-winner for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, Asghar Farhadi. Darren Decker / ©A.M.P.A.S.
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| Morgan Freeman prepares... Richard Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S. |
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Brian Grazer and Penelope Cruz. credit: Richard Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.
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