By Laura Rooney laura@moviecitynews.com

Oscar Nominations: The Nominee Reactions

Posted Thursday, January 15th, 2015 - Comments Off on Oscar Nominations: The Nominee Reactions
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“Almost exactly a year ago, we were off to Sundance wondering if people would ever see Whiplash. Today is truly beyond our wildest dreams. As Fletcher would say, holy #@^!#@*$!!!”.” –  Helen Estabrook, Jason Blum & David Lancaster, producers of Whiplash
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Birdman“Humbled, thankful and more than anything, grateful. So, so happy that Alejandro and the cast and crew are getting recognized. I am proud to be a part of such a bold, gutsy and daring experiment that is Birdman. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to try as best I can and see if I can wipe this smile off my face. Wish me luck.” – Michael Keaton, nominated for Birdman

 

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Boxtrolls2“One word – HONORED! We are honored and humbled to accept this nomination in recognition of our amazingly talented cast and crew – the artists, actors, craftspeople, and freaks who brought The Boxtrolls to life. We are eternally grateful to them and to our fearless leaders, producers Travis Knight and David Bleiman Ichioka, for making it all possible. Thank you so much, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, for including us in this great list of nominees! We would be thrilled to sit in the dark and clap for any one of them.”  — Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable, directors of THE BOXTROLLS, Academy Award nominee(s) for Best Animated Feature Film

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la_ca_1021_selma“Happy Birthday, Dr. King. An Oscar gift for you. To SELMA cast + crew led by our miracle David Oyelowo! To Common + Legend! Kudos! March on!” – Ava DeVernay, directory of Selma
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“I think we’ll have to find a time to have a toast and have a good time. Maybe Friday – I’m not very good at handling hangovers, especially when I’m filming!” – Alejandro González Iñárritu, nominated for Birdman

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“Thanks to all you folks with so many congratulations tweets. Heart warming support. You are too damn good.” – Mark Ruffalo, nominated for Foxcatcher

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american sniper“This is a tribute to Chris Kyle, his family and all of the service men and women who sacrifice their lives for their countries and their families. It is a privilege and an honor to play Chris and I share this with Sienna, Clint, Jason Hall, the rest of SEAL team three and everyone involved with the film.” – Bradley Cooper, nominated for American Sniper

 

 

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Boxtrolls“What an odd and lovely way to greet the day. I’m overjoyed that the Academy has honored us with this nomination. Cobbled together over well-nigh a decade, THE BOXTROLLS was a labor of unwavering love crafted one frame at a time by a superb community of actors, artists, mad geniuses, steely-eyed pragmatists, and starry-eyed dreamers. I’m so pleased with the recognition of their artistry. It shows that original stories are valued, along with the weird people who make them.”  — Travis Knight, producer of THE BOXTROLLS, Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature Film
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“My wife said, ‘Well, now you’ve shown them it’s not a fluke!’”– Mark Ruffalo, nominated for Foxcatcher

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Imitation Game“I am knocked for six by this. So excited and honoured to receive this recognition. It’s wonderful to be included by the academy in this exceptional year of performances. To ring my parents who are both actors and tell them that their only son has been nominated for an Oscar is one of the proudest moments of my life.” – Benedict Cumberbatch, nominated for The Imitation Game

 

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“Well, this is surreal. I am completely knocked out. Thank you to the Academy for this incredible honor. I am very proud and lucky to be a part of Birdman and can’t believe it came to this. I am so f–king excited. Are you allowed to say f–k when you’re making a statement for the Oscars? I’m just really f–king excited.” – Emma Stone, nominated for Birdman

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whiplash“Wow. This is pretty darned cool. A guy doesn’t think about things like this when he starts doing summer theatre in Bigfork, Montana in the 70’s. (In fact, I didn’t think about this when we shot ‘Whiplash,’ but here we are). ” – JK Simmons, nominated for Whiplash

 

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“The biggest bummer about the whole thing is that Channing, who really is incredible in the film, hasn’t been recognized the way I think he deserves to be. He should be here in my place in a lot of ways. That’s the real truth.” – Mark Ruffalo, nominated for Foxcatcher

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“It’s a tremendous feeling to be recognized by your colleagues and peers. We’re an independent film that’s been embraced by movie-goers and the industry. I’m greatly honored on behalf of all the immensely talented people who brought Nightcrawler to life, including my incredible cast and crew, and the terrific team at Open Road Films.” –Dan Gilroy, screenwriter of Best Original Screenplay nominee, Nightcrawler

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“I’m overwhelmed at this incredible news. This is a huge, huge honor. My deepest gratitude to the members of the Academy. I’ll look forward to celebrating this with everyone involved in THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING. Thank you so much.” -Felicity Jones, Academy Award Nominee for Best Actress In A Leading Role (THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING)

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“‪I really didn’t expect this nomination this morning. I was sleeping in my bed, and then the phone started to ring, and I thought, ‘oh my god, what’s going on, something’s happened,’ but I didn’t expect this at all. I knew the nominations were this morning and I made fun of people who would think I had a chance to be nominated, and I honestly genuinely thought they were out of their mind. I’m in shock, and I’m super happy for the movie, and I’m super happy for the brothers [writer-directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne]. I really wanted to take their movie to the Oscars and I was sad when we didn’t make the shortlist. I thought that was it, that I couldn’t take the movie to the Oscars, and today it’s changed, I’m actually taking this movie, or this movie is taking me, anywhere it goes. It makes me so happy.” – Marion Cotillard, nominated for Two Days, One Night

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“It was the first time in more than six weeks that I was woken up by someone that wasn’t my baby. It feels like we’ve been on a journey. I sent one email to David Fincher just saying thank you. That’s the main thing. I wouldn’t be here without him.”

“I’m literally operating on a minute by minute basis.  I’m literally on the rollercoaster. I don’t see the drop until I’m at the top of the hill. I don’t even know what day the Oscars are.” – Rosamund Pike, nominated for Gone Girl

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“I was just taking my kids to school [when I got the news]. Today’s also my son’s birthday — he turned 13 today. It really is wonderful. When Rick and I first started talking about this, making his movie, he’d just been born. I’ve found it incredibly moving. There’s never been a time in his life I wasn’t working on Boyhood. I’ve never made a more challenging or personal film in my life, and usually when you put those two words together, it means a little indie movie that plays ok at festivals. There’s an ethos to this movie that’s what I believe in. It’s a movie that’s incredibly humble, a movie that is celebrating the smallest events in our lives, and I knew that people would care about it. It makes me feel like we like our own lives more than we let on. It’s really powerful for Rick and I. This is our eighth film together, and it’s is our craziest pipedream. This makes Before Sunrise look mainstream. It’s transcended all that. There’s an emotional core to the movie that becomes more important than how experimental and how unique the architecture of the film is.” – Ethan Hawke, nominated for Boyhood

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big-hero-six“As kids growing up in Canada and Iowa, Chris and I both dreamt of becoming Disney animators. Never could we have imagined that, one day, we would get to make a film like Big Hero 6, and that one day, the film and all of the talented artists who made it would be recognized by the Academy. Roy, Chris and I are deeply honored by the nomination and thank everyone at Disney Animation who made this possible.” – Don Hall, nominated for Big Hero 6

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The Theory of Everything“I’m so incredibly honored to be recognized by the Academy, and even more thrilled to share this honor with the entire family of filmmakers, cast, and crew of “The Theory of Everything.” This role was a once in a lifetime experience. Congratulations to my fellow nominees, thank you to the Academy, and thank you most of all to Stephen and Jane Hawking.”  -Eddie Redmayne, Academy Award Nominee for Best Actor In A Leading Role (THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING)

 

 

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Boyhood“If you bet me this was going to happen a year ago I would have bet real money that you were wrong. Amazed.” – Patricia Arquette, nominated for Boyhood

 

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“Thank you, members of the Academy! I am humbled to learn of our most prestigious nominations. To be in the company of such great writers and producers and artists is a tribute to our film, to our talented team who worked so hard to bring this story to life, and, most importantly, to the extraordinary example provided us all by Jane and Stephen Hawking.”  — Anthony McCarten, Academy Award nominee for Best Picture (as producer of nominated film THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING) and Best Adapted Screenplay (as screenwriter of nominated film THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING)

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Judge“Playing a challenging role like Joseph Palmer was a reward in itself, but getting recognition for the work from the Academy is a real honor. And we all know that we don’t work alone—my performance is really just part of a very collaborative process, so I have to thank everyone I worked with on “The Judge,” especially David Dobkin and Robert Downey Jr., for giving me the chance, and the freedom, to bring the character to life.” – Robert Duvall, nominated for The Judge

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“I am thrilled that the Academy members have embraced THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, as it is truly one of the most inspirational stories I have ever known. I hope our movie inspires people around the world to do as Jane and Stephen Hawking did: to reach beyond their realities and discover the unimaginable.”  — Lisa Bruce, producer of nominated film THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

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“In a year with so many beautiful animated shorts, we are surprised, humbled, thrilled to be included among the nominees by the Academy. Making Feast alongside my favorite artists and best friends at Disney Animation was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is their hard work and talent that made the film what it is and I am so excited to share this nomination with them.” – Patrick Osborne, nominated for Feast

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Grand Budapest“I’ve been asked to make a “statement” even though I feel it does sound more like bragging. Nevertheless, my producers and I send our very deepest thanks to the Academy and its 8000 members for a whole slew of Oscar nominations, especially for my long-time collaborators Robert Yeoman (our cinematographer who has worked with me on seven movies, if I count them right), Milena Canonero (our Italian costume designer), Alexandre Desplat (our French composer), Barney Pilling (our English editor), Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier (more English, hair/make-up), and Adam Stockhausen out of Wisconsin. Also, my friend Hugo Guinness (who co-wrote the movie with me) expresses his own gratitude. We feel very deeply honored and thrilled and, frankly, very, very pleased with ourselves all around.” – West Anderson, nominated for The Grand Budapest Hotel

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Still Alice“I am over the moon-actually I am on a plane, flying over the United States. My old friend Bruce Cohen was the first to reach me to tell me the news.   I can’t believe that I have gone from doing plays in the 8th grade with Bruce Cohen, to him texting me 100 years later to tell me about an Oscar nomination.  I feel so lucky and proud to be in the company of the other talented actors who were nominated today.  My heart is beating so fast!” – Julianne Moore, nominated for Still Alice

 

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“Thank you Academy for recognizing BIRDMAN. 9 nominations is a huge feather in our cap. I am particularly proud of my friend Alejandro for his fearlessness and creativity and to our entire cast and crew for their unparalleled precision and excellence. Congratulations as well to our fellow nominees.” – producer for nominee Birdman
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“What an exciting morning! I’m so honoured and grateful for this nomination and to be in the company of such talented and inspiring actresses. Thank you to the Academy for this recognition and also for honouring so many of the film’s storytellers. I would like to think the many recognitions the Academy has given our movie is a celebration of Alan Turing’s legacy.” – Keira Knightley, nominated for The Imitation Game
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HTTYD2
“When you work in animation, a moment like this only comes around about once every four years, and the anticipation leading up to this morning is like Christmas Eve all over again…not being able to sleep, having lucid dreams! And then when you hear your film called out – by JJ Abrams no less – it just doesn’t get any better. Thank you, Academy! I’m so honored to be in the company of such a talented group of nominees and so very proud our entire cast and the over 400 artists at DreamWorks Animation who made all of this possible.” – Dean DeBlois, nominated for How To Train Your Dragon 2
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“Without a shadow of doubt, the score for INTERSTELLAR was Chris and I at our most collaborative. Even in this modern world of texting and emailing, sometimes all you need is a simple, type-written letter from your director to spark what undoubtedly became one of the most personal scores I’ve ever written. Chris and I make movies family-style – so much of the film’s music was written with our children in mind, and that’s what makes this honor by the Academy really special. This is as much his score as it is mine.” – Hans Zimmer, nominated for Interstellar
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“The film was created, traveled around the world, and, hopefully, became truly significant to a lot of viewers. Today it has reached the heights, indeed. I would like to thank all the wonderful people that I was fortunate to work with. My special thanks go out to Joanna and her family, who decided to share a part of their life with me. This is a success for all of us.” – Aneta Kopacz, nominee for Best Documentary Short Subject, Joanna
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Princess“We are deeply honored that the Academy has chosen to nominate ‘The Tale of The Princess Kaguya’ for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the members of the Academy. I thank everyone who has contributed to the film’s success in US as well as those who saw the film and gave it high recognition. I also thank the many people who worked on this film.” – Isao Takahata, director of Best Animated Feature nominee The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
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“We are delighted to learn of this nomination for ‘The Salt of the Earth’, and we are especially happy that our subject has received so much attention, that is, both the photography of Sebastiao Salgado, as well as his other life’s work, the reforestation of the tropical rain forest.” – Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro, co-directors of Best Documentary Feature nominee, Salt of the Earth
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“I was in the dog park with the dog when the wife finally called me. I’m honestly surprised. We’ve been on the bubble a little bit. It’s been a little unclear what’s been going on with the movie. It’s a total thrill, and in particular to share it with Max Fry.”

 

When asked about the scathing comments from one of the film’s subjects, Mark Schultz, Futterman said: “He was really brave in sharing his life with all of us. It can’t ever go perfect with everybody. It’s an upsetting period of his life.” – Dan Futterman, nominated for Foxcatcher

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“I’ve been working on this film for five years, pretty much every day of my life for five years so I got up for [the nominations announcement] because I am simply too obsessive compulsive to let even the chance that our movie might get something go by without being awake,” said Moore. When the screenwriter heard his name announced for best adapted screenplay he said “it was crazy.” “I yelled. I was fiddling with how to use my coffee maker and I was literally spilling water all over myself,” he said. “To have been involved with this film has been the most fulfilling experience of my life. I’ve been obsessed with Alan Turing since I was a teenager so to be involved with a film about him is everything I could have dreamed of.” – Graham Moore, nominated for The Imitation Game

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“[The nomination represents] the idea that the underdogs can sneak into the ball, that sometimes the girl you least expect might become the prom queen, or the skinny kid that throws the touchdown — that’s us. There’s so many studio films, big-budgeted films in the running, that that’s kind of where we see ourselves. We’re the kid that snuck in.” – Gregg Alexander, best original song nominee for “Lost Stars” from Begin Again

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Last Days of Vietnam“Yaaaay! Isn’t it thrilling? I was in my house in LA watching but the streaming was delayed here, so I got a text from Amy Grey just saying, ‘Yes,’ and then I jumped up and down in an old-fashioned kind of way. My father [Robert F. Kennedy] really jumped into that last campaign [for President], desperate for us to get out of the war in Vietnam. He saw the writing on the wall before a lot of people. That was certainly part of my childhood, and so it’s nice to have this moment and have it be recognized by so many people.” – Rory Kennedy, director of best documentary feature nominee Last Days in Vietnam

 

 

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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.

And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.

There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.

I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.

So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”

My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher

“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.

~ David Simon