Oscars 2022: Academy Award winners revealed

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Jessica Chastain finally won her first Best Actress trophy and CODA made history as the first ever streaming film to earn Best Picture but Will Smith’s victory being marred after a physical altercation with Chris Rock will no doubt be the most talked about moment of The Oscars. 

Smith had tearfully apologized as he won Best Actor after an ugly physical row with Chris Rock over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

The 53-year-old actor earned the honor for his work as father of Venus and Serena Williams in King Richard just minutes after the awkward altercation in which he appeared to strike the 57-year-old comedian with an open hand.

He beat out Javier Bardem – Being the Ricardos, Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog, Andrew Garfield – tick, tick… BOOM!, and Denzel Washington – The Tragedy of Macbeth

‘Love makes you do crazy things’, the rapper and actor admitted as he accepted his Best Actor Oscar statuette.

He added that being a Hollywood star means you should be able to ‘have people disrespecting you and that ‘you just gotta smile and pretend it’s ok,’ he said.

But he added that he admired Richard Williams who ‘was a fierce defender of his family.’

‘I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people,’ he explained. 

Smith went on to issue a tearful partial apology for his emotional outburst, but did not apologize to Rock. ‘I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment,’ he said.

‘Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father,’ said Smith.

The slapping incident occurred after Rock cracked jokes about the haircut of Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith. The shocking scene, broadcast live around the world, appeared genuine and stunned both the live audience at the Dolby Theatre and TV viewers. 

After Smith strode out on stage and appeared to strike Rock with an open right hand, Rock staggered and exclaimed ‘wow, Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.’ 

Smith, visibly emotional, walked back to his seat in the audience and shouted: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.’

The exchange was muted on a delayed telecast in much of the US, but was aired in full to some international audiences. 

Smith, who is nominated in the best actor category, appeared to take offence to a gag Rock made about Pinkett Smith’s short haircut.

Referring to Pinkett Smith’s buzzcut, Rock said: ‘Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2’, prompting the actress to roll her eyes. Pinkett Smith has been grappling with hair loss since revealing her alopecia diagnosis in 2018. 

After being slapped, Rock appeared shocked and flustered as he tried to resume presenting the best documentary feature category.

He remarked: ‘That was the greatest night in the history of television.

The film which Smith won for is a look at how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams became who they are after the coaching from their father Richard Williams.

Shortly after, Jessica Chastain finally earned her first Academy Award in the Best Actress category for her work in The Eyes Of Tammy Faye.

The 45-year-old veteran actress earned the honor over Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter, Penélope Cruz – Parallel Mothers, Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos, and Kristen Stewart – Spencer.

The biographical film she starred in was an intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker as she played the titular role. 

The talented actress – who underwent a major transformation to become American televangelist Tammy Faye Messner – talked about the real life Tammy Faye’s impact on the LGBTQ+ community as she addressed Florida’s controversial ‘Don’t say gay bill’ in her acceptance speech.

She said: ‘We’re faced with discriminatory and bigoted legislation that is sweeping our country with the only goal of further dividing us. There’s violence and hate crimes being perpetuated on innocent civilians all over the world. And in times like this, I think of Tammy and I’m inspired by her radical acts of love.

‘We’ve talked about love a lot. And I’m inspired by her compassion, and I see it as a guiding principle that leads us forward. And it connects us all in the desire that we want to be accepted for who we are, accepted for who we love, and to live a life without the fear of violence or terror. And for any of you out there who do in fact feel hopeless or alone, I just not you to know you are unconditionally loved for the uniqueness that is you.’ 

Perhaps the most surprising moment of all came during the announcement of the biggest prize of the night at the end of the event as Coda upset heavy favorite The Power Of The Dog for Best Picture.

Coda – which also won all three awards it was nominated for – also made history as it became the first ever film from a streaming service to win the highest honor which was a massive win for AppleTV+.

It beat out a very impressive field including: Belfast (Focus Features), Don’t Look Up (Netflix), Drive My Car (Janus Films/Sideshow), Dune (Warner Bros), King Richard (Warner Bros), Licorice Pizza (MGM/United Artists Releasing), Nightmare Alley (Searchlight Pictures), The Power Of The Dog (Netflix), and West Side Story  (20th Century Studios).

The film is centered around a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) named Ruby (played by Emilia Jones) who is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family’s fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music by wanting to go to Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents. 

 It was a major night for the movie as it earned all three of the categories it was nominated as the drama also won Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.

 Troy Kotsur became the first ever male actor to earn an acting Oscar 35 years after his co-star Marlee Matlin made history as she became the first ever deaf actress to win an Oscar in 1987. 

The 53-year-old Mesa, Arizona native earned Best Supporting Actor for his role in Coda at the 94th annual Academy Awards on Sunday night as he became the first ever male actor to win an Oscar.

He beat out heavy competition including: Ciaran Hinds – Belfast , Jesse Plemons – The Power Of The Dog, J.K Simmons – Being The Ricardos, and Kodi Smitt-McPhee – The Power Of The Dog.

The talented actor was obviously emotional as he began his acceptance speech saying via translator: ‘This is amazing to be here on this journey. I cannot believe I’m here. Thank you so much to all the members of the academy for recognizing my work. It’s really amazing that our film Coda Has reached out worldwide.’ 

He told a hilarious joke about visiting the White House and meeting US President Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden and wanting to teach him ‘dirty sign language’ before his castmate Marlee stopped him.

The most poignant moment came when the veteran actor dedicated the win to his father.

He said: ‘My dad, he was the best signer in our family. But he was in a car accident and he became paralyzed from the neck down. And he no longer was able to sign. Dad, I learned so much from you I’ll always love you. You are my hero.’

Kotsur also said that his win was a win for the deaf and disabled community before thanking the rest of his family.

He concluded:  ‘I just wanted to say that this is dedicated to the deaf community, the C.O.D.A. Community and the disabled community. This is our moment. To my mom, my dad, and my brother mark. They’re not here today, but look at me now, I did it. I love you. Thank you.’

 His co-star in the film Marlee Matlin became the first deaf actor – male or female – nominee and winner in 1987 for her work in Children Of A Lesser God.

Later on in the evening Sian Heder earned Best Adapted screenplay for the film as she won over Drive My Car (Ryusuke Hamaguchi & Takamasa Oe), Dune (Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts & Denis Villeneuve), The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion). 

The 44-year-old American filmmaker – who also directed the film – said during her acceptance speech: ‘I want to thank all of my collaborators in the deaf community and CODA community for being my teachers.’ 

As if that already wasn’t enough milestones in the night, Jane Campion became the third woman to earn Best Director.

The 67-year-old filmmaker was recognized for her work at the helm of The Power Of The Dog during the star studded 94th Academy Awards on Sunday night.

She beat out: Kenneth Branagh – Belfast, Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi – Drive My Car, and Steven Spielberg – West Side Story. 

 Earlier in the night, Ariana DeBose  kicked off the show in fine form as she took home the coveted first win of the night earning Best Supporting Actress for her work in West Side Story.

The North Carolina native faced stiff competition including Jessie Buckley – The Lost Daughter,  Judi Dench – Belfast, Kirsten Dunst- The Power Of The Dog, and Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard.

 Ariana played the iconic character of Anita in the Steven Spielberg directed film which was an adaptation of the 1957 musical, West Side Story explores forbidden love and the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds.

DeBose began her speech by saying: ‘Yikes. Okay. Oh, my word. You know what? What is this? You know what, now you see why Anita says I want to be in America, because even in this weary world that we live in, dreams do come true. And that’s really a heartening thing right now. 

‘If I took the time to say thank you to every single beautiful person who has lifted me up on the stage, you’ll find people would be sitting here until next Oscars, so I’m going to going to do that, but allow me to say it was the summer of a lifetime and I am the most privileged and grateful to have spent it with all of you.’

After thanking friends, family, cast, crew, and director Steven Spielberg she finished her speech with an encouraging message.

 She said: ‘Lastly, imagine this little girl in the back seat of a white Ford Focus. Look into her eyes, you see an openly queer woman of color and Latina who found her life and strength in art. That’s what I believe we’re here to celebrate. 

‘So to anybody who has ever questioned your identity, ever, ever, ever, or you find yourself living in the gray spaces, promise you this. There is indeed a place for us. Thank you to the academy and thank you all.’

Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS also earned their first ever Oscar as they beat out an impressive field including Beyonce to earn Best Original Song.

The 20-year-old pop megastar and 24-year-old older brother were recognized for their work on No Time To Die from the James Bond film of the same name.

The two siblings made sure to thank their parents –  Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell – ‘who have always been our biggest inspirations and our heroes. We love you as parents and we love you as real people, too.’

British actor and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh also won his first ever Oscar as he earned Best Original Screenplay for Belfast.

The 61-year-old star earned the win over Don’t Look Up (Adam McKay & David Sirota), Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson), King Richard (Zach Baylin), and The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt)

As expected Dune swept the technical categories and also earned Best Cinematography  and Best Original Score making it a huge night for the sci-fi epic.

Dune’s Greig Fraser triumphed in the Cinematography category beating out heavy competition including: Nightmare Alley (Dan Lausten), The Power of the Dog (Ari Wegner), The Tragedy of Macbeth (Bruno Delbonnel), and West Side Story (Janusz Kaminski). 

Dune – directed by Denis Villeneuve –  is centered around a noble family becomes embroiled in a war for control over the galaxy’s most valuable asset while its scion becomes troubled by visions of a dark future. 

The 94th annual Academy Awards ceremony returned to its regular venue of the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California after being held at Union Station last year.

Tennis megastar siblings Venus and Serena Williams kicked off the show as they introduced Beyonce’s performance from the Compton tennis courts where they began training as children.

It was a truly epic performance of Be Alive from the King Richard soundtrack as she was also one of the nominees.

In a rather bold move, the show was hosted by a trio of stars in Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes as it has gone without a host over the last three years.

The trio have made history as it is the first time there is an all-female host line-up as they are also the first emcees since 2018.  

  Netflix’s Power Of The Dog led nominations with 12 nods, including best picture, best director and recognition for all of its top actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Campion, a nominee for 1993′s The Piano, became the first woman to ever be nominated twice for best director. 

Last year, Chloé Zhao became just the second woman to ever win the award. Campion’s director of photography, Ari Wegner, also became the second woman ever nominated for best cinematography.

Dune followed closely behind with 10 nominations spread out largely in the technical categories that rewarded the gargantuan craft of Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, yet unexpectedly bypassed Villeneuve’s direction. 

The Warner Bros. release debuted simultaneously in theaters and — against the strenuous objections of its director — on HBO Max.

With The Power Of The Dog and Dune, the nominees for best picture are: Belfast, CODA, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Licorice Pizza, King Richard, Nightmare Alley and West Side Story.

No streaming service has ever won best picture, but half of the 10 nominees were released by streamers. This year, the odds may be better than ever that Netflix — which led all studios with 27 nominations — or another service will finally break through.

 Apple TV+ notched its first best-picture nomination with the deaf drama CODA, which also made history as supporting-actor nominee Troy Kotsur became only the second deaf actor ever nominated as his CODA co-star Marlee Matlin was the first in 1987.

 Netflix backed The Power of the Dog and Adam McKay’s apocalyptic comedy Don’t Look Up. And both King Richard and Dune launched on HBO Max. Even the academy for the first time ruled out hard-copy DVD screeners for its members, who instead could watch submissions on the academy’s streaming platform.

It is also set to be a night of great musical performances as Beyonce and Billie Eilish are set to perform but outspoken vaccine skeptic Van Morrison is skipping Hollywood’s biggest night.

All three performers are nominated for best song along with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Diane Warren, whose songs will also be performed on the broadcast.

Pop superstar Beyonce’s Oscar-nominated ballad Be Alive was penned for tennis biopic King Richard, which stars Will Smith as the father of tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams.

Hollywood trade publication Variety reported that Beyonce will perform live from the tennis courts in Compton where the sisters played as children. 

Eilish and her brother Finneas will perform No Time To Die from the recent James Bond movie.

But while Morrison, who wrote Down to Joy for Kenneth Branagh’s black-and-white childhood drama Belfast, was invited to perform at the star-studded gala, he ‘will not attend the Oscars due to his tour schedule,’ organizers said.

The singer, known as ‘Van the Man’ to his fans, is due to tour England in late March, before arriving in the US next month for further dates.

Morrison’s high-profile criticism of pandemic restrictions — including three anti-lockdown ‘protest songs’ — and opposition to vaccine mandates had led to questions about whether he would be welcomed at the Oscars.

The ceremony taking place Sunday in Hollywood requires nominees, guests and press to be vaccinated, although performers and presenters are reportedly able to attend without proof of vaccine if they undergo rigorous testing.

Miranda’s Dos Oruguitas from Disney animated movie Encanto will be performed by Sebastian Yatra.

Best known for creating Broadway sensation Hamilton, Miranda will attain the coveted and rare EGOT status for winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award if he wins on Sunday.

Warren’s song Somehow You Do from Four Good Days — which will be performed by Reba McEntire — is her 13th Oscar nomination, but she has never won.

Also performing at the Oscars will be an all-star band including Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, and DJ D-Nice.

There will also be many A-list presenters including Bill Murray, Lady Gaga, Kevin Costner, Samuel L. Jackson, Zoë Kravitz, Lupita Nyong’o. Anthony Hopkins, Lily James, Daniel Kaluuya, and Mila Kunis.

As if that already wasn’t enough John Leguizamo, Simu Liu, Rami Malek, Rosie Perez, Chris Rock, Naomi Scott, Wesley Snipes, Uma Thurman, John Travolta, Yuh-jung Youn, Ruth E. Carter, Halle Bailey, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Shawn Mendes, Tyler Perry, Tracee Ellis Ross, Stephanie Beatriz, DJ Khaled, Jennifer Garner, H.E.R., Tiffany Haddish, Tony Hawk, Elliot Page, Kelly Slater and Shaun White will also be taking to the stage.

One controversy which sprang up earlier this week, however was West Side Story star Rachel Zegler not being invited to the ceremony despite her film being nominated for seven awards. 

Zegler, 20, created a bit of a firestorm on social media as she revealed over the weekend that she will not be in attendance at The Oscars despite being the lead – Maria Vasquez – for the Steven Spielberg directed flick. 

She posted on Instagram Sunday that she tried to go but ‘it doesn´t seem to be happening’ and that she will be rooting for West Side Story from her couch.

‘I hope some last minute miracle occurs and I can celebrate our film in person but hey, that´s how it goes sometimes, I guess,’ Zegler continued on Instagram. ‘Thanks for all the shock and outrage – I´m disappointed, too. But that’s OK. So proud of our movie.’

However, on Tuesday it was reported by The Hollywood Reporter that she had been invited to present.