Julianne Moore was the widely predicted Best Actress winner for her role in Still Alice, and thanked the Academy because she had read that Oscar winners live five years longer, joking: “That would be great news, because my husband is younger than me!” JK Simmons was emotional as he accepted his, also largely expected, Best Supporting Actor statue for his role as a deranged music teacher in Whiplash, advising the audience to all “call your mum and dad”.
Patricia Arquette’s acceptance speech as she collected her Best Supporting Actress award for Boyhood was an altogether more political affair. The seasoned star paid tribute to the women of the United States, calling for them to receive equal pay. After thanking the film’s makers and her family, she ended by saying: “To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It’s time to have wage equality once and for all. And equal rights for women in the United States of America.” The speech prompted audience members, including Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez, to rise to their feet and applaud.
If none of the acting gongs came as a surprise, at least the Best Director and Best Picture prizes provided something of a cliffhanger. In the end both were won by Birdman, with director Alejandro Inarritu beating Boyhood’s Eric Linklater and the cast and crew scooping film’s top prize at the ceremony’s close. Michael Keaton, who was also in the running for Best Actor, grinned as the team accepted Best Picture honours admitting, “Who am I kidding, I’m just glad to be here?”
source: Vogue UK
