Oscars: Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis and ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ Among Early Winners

The 2023 Oscars were handed out at the Dolby Theater on Sunday night, with A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once earning two Oscars for its performances.

Ke Huy Quan won the Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in Everything Everywhere, delivering an emotional speech to a standing ovation from the audience. “Mom, I just won an Oscar!” he said, noting that his road to the Oscars was long and unexpected. “My journey started on a boat,” said Quan, who fled Vietnam with his parents in 1978. “I spent a year in a refugee camp, and somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage. Stories like this only happen in the movies.”

Quan’s co-star Jamie Lee Curtis took the Oscar for best supporting actress for the A24 film. “I know it looks like I’m standing up here by myself, but I am not — I am hundreds of people,” said Curtis, who noted that her parents Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh were both nominated for Oscars, but neither won. She also called out the fans of the Halloween franchise, which made her a star after the first film was released in 1978. “To all of the people who have supported the genre movies that I’ve made for all these years — the thousands, the hundreds of thousands — we just won an Oscar!”

Guillermo del Toro earned his third Oscar for Netflix’s Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, which earned the award for best animated feature. “Animation is ready to be taken to the next step,” said del Toro in his acceptance speech. “Please help us, and keep animation in the conversation.”

Best documentary feature went to Navalny, and director Daniel Roher dedicated the prize to Russian political opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and relayed a statement on behalf of his film’s imprisoned subject: “I would like to dedicate this award not only to all political prisoners around the world,” read Roher. , before adding: “Alexei, the world has not forgotten your vital message to us all. We cannot be must not be afraid to oppose dictators and authoritarianism wherever it rears its head.”

Yulia Navalnaya, wife of the film’s subject, also delivered a message of thanks to her husband. “My husband is in prison just for telling the truth and defending democracy,” she said. “Alexei, I am dreaming of the day you will be free.”

The directors of An Irish Goodbye, winner of the Oscar for best live action short film, used their time at the mic to ask the audience to sing “Happy Birthday” to star James Martin. Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western Front earned the prize for best cinematographer, going to DP James Friend. A24’s The Whale won the Oscar for best makeup and hairstyling, becoming the first recipient film project to win for using digitally printed prosthetics.

Host Jimmy Kimmel returned to the Dolby Theater for his third Academy Awards hosting gig, using his opening monologue to applaud the films that brought moviegoers back to cinemas. “The films you worked so hard to make the way they were supposed to be seen: in the theater,” Kimmel noted before turning his attention to Oscar winner Nicole Kidman in the audience: “I’m glad to see that Nicole Kidman has finally been released from that abandoned AMC,” he joked.

“It was such a great year for diversity and inclusion, including nominees from all corners of Dublin,” mused Kimmel, pointing out that five Irish performers were among the nominated actors. But he also noted two films not nominated for Oscars: Sony’s The Woman King and MGM/United Artists’ Tillwhich were both controversially shut out by the Academy despite critical praise for Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historical epic and Chinonye Chukwu’s drama led by Danielle Deadwyler.

Kimmel also saved the elephant in the room, Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during last year’s Oscars, for the end of his monologue: “We want you to have fun, we want you to feel safe; and most importantly, I want to feel safe,” he said. “If anyone commits an act of violence, you will be rewarded with the Oscar for best actor.”

Heading into the 95th Academy Awards, A24’s Everything Everywhere led the pack with 11 nods, including best picture, best director and original screenplay (for duo Daniels), and acting noms for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Curtis and Hsu. The studio had a good year, also earning noms for The Whale (best actor, supporting actress and hair and makeup), Aftersun (best actor) and Marcel the Shell With Shoes On (animated feature).

Following Everything Everywhere are Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western Front and Searchlight’s The Banshees of Inisherinboth earning nine noms each including best picture.

See the star-studded Oscars red carpet arrivals.

More to come.