Oscar speech

Oscar speeches have always been a significant aspect of the ceremony and have often been influential. NineMSN explains, "If you're an Academy Award-winning celeb, you can either give a boring run-of-the-mill acceptance speech, a touching acceptance speech, or a crazy over-the-top acceptance speech".{{cite web| title=Best and worst Oscar speeches| url=http://thefix.ninemsn.com.au/awardsfix/280016/best-and-worst-oscar-speeches.slideshow| access-date=14 February 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140205194731/http://thefix.ninemsn.com.au/awardsfix/280016/best-and-worst-oscar-speeches.slideshow| archive-date=5 February 2014| url-status=dead}} The New Yorker said:

Common pitfalls include self-aggrandizement (King of the World James Cameron), excessive weepiness (Gwyneth Paltrow), and sheer who-invited-this-person weirdness (Melissa Leo). Some are passive-aggressive (Shirley MacLaine, who thanked Debra Winger for her "turbulent brilliance"). Some are strident (Vanessa Redgrave, who chided "Zionist hoodlums"). Some are unsettling (Angelina Jolie, who declared herself "so in love with my brother right now"). At their best, they offer a jolt of liberating mania (Roberto Benigni), or a banquet of finely calibrated self-deprecation, gratitude, and poise (Meryl Streep).{{cite magazine| last=Schulman| first=Michael| title=The Oscars: Grading the Speeches| url=http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/02/the-oscars-grading-the-speeches.html| date=25 February 2013| access-date=14 February 2014|magazine=The New Yorker}}

The New Yorker graded the speeches in the 2013 Academy Awards, a common practice among news outlets. Christoph Waltz's "short and classy speech ... without condescension" was graded an "A minus" while Quentin Tarantino's "rubber-faced self-mythologizing" was graded a "C".

At the 2013 Oscars, Jennifer Lawrence fell when approaching the stage to accept the award for Best Actress. She attempted to make up for her fall in her speech by saying, "You guys are all just standing because I fell and that's really embarrassing". By the next day pictures of her fall had gone viral in the Internet. Her fall was mentioned by host Ellen DeGeneres in her opening monologue at the 2014 Oscars.

Many lines from Oscar speeches have become iconic, often being quoted in the pop culture vernacular. They are often spoofed in other media. Some speeches comment on the film industry ("We are part of an artistic family ... and most actors don't work, they have to practice accents while driving a taxi. And some of us are so lucky to work with writing, to work with directing. And to that artistic family that strives for excellence, none of you have ever lost, and I am proud to share this with you." Dustin Hoffman 1979). Some are heartfelt messages to friends, family, and supporters. Some raise awareness for sensitive topics ("Tonight I am asking for your help. I call upon you to draw from the depths of your being to prove that we are a human race. To prove that our love outweighs our need to hate. That our compassion is more compelling than our need to blame." Elizabeth Taylor 1993 on AIDS), while others are funny insights.{{Cite web|url=http://www.flpapps.com/oscarworld/ow.asp?P=12|title=OSCAR, OSCAR!|website=www.flpapps.com}}

Sometimes people do unexpected things during their Oscar speeches. For example, in 1992, while accepting his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for City Slickers, Jack Palance did one-arm pushups on the floor to demonstrate his physical strength and counteract the view of some executives who had not wanted to "risk" hiring an elderly person for fear they may die during filming.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGxL5AFzzMY|title=Jack Palance Wins Supporting Actor: 1992 Oscars|date=19 February 2008 |via=www.youtube.com}} When Jorge Drexler accepted the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2005, instead of a speech he sang the winning song, "Al Otro Lado del Río", as he had not been invited to perform earlier in the ceremony.{{cite web| last=Gurza| first=Agustin| title=Instant Celebrity - for a song: Oscar win gives Drexler clout| work=Chicago Tribune| url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2005/03/04/instant-celebrity-for-a-song-oscar-win-gives-drexler-clout/| date=4 March 2005| access-date=19 May 2014}}

There is play-off music after an actor has reached their time limit, and there are reminders on the teleprompter. If they take too long, the microphone cuts out. In 2004, Jack Black and Will Ferrell performed a song to the tune of the piece of music, although this was as part of a presentation routine and not during a speech overrun.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoXLu9Rz70g|title=Jack Black and Will Ferrell sing "Get Off the Stage" | 76th Oscars (2004)|date=19 February 2008 |via=www.youtube.com}}

There are certain recurring themes in Oscar speeches, particularly in the people thanked. These can range from an actor's agent to the film's director, to their co-stars, to their God, to their idols and to their parents.

Some speeches can cause uproar thanks to political and social subject matter[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMR1mVGbfUk Documentary Winners: 1975 Oscars] note: Peter Davis and Bert Schneider for Hearts and Minds like Michael Moore's criticisms of George W. Bush{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7Is43K6lrg|title=Michael Moore winning an Oscar® for "Bowling for Columbine"|date=16 July 2012 |via=www.youtube.com}} and Vanessa Redgrave's stance on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAcOsK9gRLk|title=Vanessa Redgrave Wins Supporting Actress: 1978 Oscars|date=29 July 2011 |via=www.youtube.com}}

Sometimes a confusing or ambiguous statement made in a speech can attract attention in the media. In Angelina Jolie's Best Supporting Actress speech in 2000 for Girl, Interrupted, she said, "I'm so in love with my brother right now", leading to accusations of incest with her brother, actor and producer, James Haven.

In 1973, Marlon Brando famously refused an Oscar due to his support of Native Americans. A part of his speech was read on stage by Sacheen Littlefeather.{{cite web |last=Brando |first=Marlon |title=That Unfinished Oscar speech |website=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/godfather-ar3.html |date=30 March 1973 |access-date=14 February 2014}}

The longest Oscar speech was given by Adrien Brody at the 97th Academy Awards, after he was named Best Actor for The Brutalist (2024). His speech ran for 5 minutes and 40 seconds.{{Cite web |last=Ford |first=Lily |date=March 3, 2025 |title=Adrien Brody Becomes World Record Holder With Longest Acceptance Speech in Oscars History |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/adrien-brody-record-longest-speech-oscars-2025-1236153234/ |access-date=March 3, 2025 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} Brody's speech was ten seconds longer than the previous record holder Greer Garson, who was named Best Actress at the 15th Academy Awards for Mrs. Miniver (1942).{{Cite web|url=http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art673.asp|title=Longest Speech In Oscar History - Classic Film}} Following Garson's speech, the Academy set forty-five seconds as the allotted time for an acceptance speech and began to cut the winners off after this time limit.

The shortest Oscar speech has been when recipients simply say "thank you". Both Clark Gable{{Cite book|last=Leslie|first=Roger|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EIQrDwAAQBAJ&q=clark+gable+oscar+speech&pg=PA183|title=Oscar's Favorite Actors: The Winningest Stars (and More Who Should Be)|date=2017-07-07|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-2842-4|language=en}} and Alfred Hitchcock kept it simple, and when Patty Duke was named Best Supporting Actress in 1962 for The Miracle Worker at the 35th Academy Awards, her acceptance speech was, simply, two words{{mdash}}"Thank you"{{mdash}} after which she walked off the stage.{{cite web|title=Oscars by the Numbers: 33 Fascinating Academy Awards Statistics|url=http://www.moviefone.com/2014/02/28/oscars-by-the-numbers/|author=Katie Roberts|date=28 February 2014|work=AOL Moviefone|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129072632/http://www.moviefone.com/2014/02/28/oscars-by-the-numbers/|archive-date=2016-01-29|access-date=2016-01-23}} Similarly, Joe Pesci made a five-word acceptance speech after winning Best Supporting Actor for Goodfellas at the 63rd Academy Awards: "It’s my privilege. Thank you."{{Cite web|url=https://americadomani.com/relive-the-speech-joe-pesci-made-at-the-1991-academy-awards/|title=Relive the Speech Joe Pesci Made at the 1991 Academy Awards|first=A. J.|last=Forrisi|date=January 30, 2023|website=America Domani}}

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• Oscar bait
• List of Academy Award records
• Oscar season

{{Reflist}}

• [http://aaspeechesdb.oscars.org/ Oscar speech database]

{{Academy Awards}}

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Category:Speeches by type