At the 96th Academy Awards, Justine Triet and Arthur Harari won best adapted screenplay for the French courtroom mystery “Anatomy Of A Fall,” while Cord Jefferson won best adapted screenplay for “American Fiction,” a satirical comedy he also directed.
“This will help me through my midlife crisis, I think,” Triet said as she and Harari, who have two children together, reached the stage. She noted the glamour of the Oscars contrasted greatly with the origins of their screenplay, which was written in their apartment during the COVID lockdown. “We hooked (our children) up to cartoons to have peace. Yeah, there was no line between work and diapers.”
Jefferson, who adapted “American Fiction” from the novel by Los Angeles author Percival Everett, opened his acceptance by noting that he sometimes worries he’s talked too much about all the studios that passed on the project from the first-time director.
“There are so many people out there that want the opportunity that I was given,” he said. “I understand that this is a risk-averse industry. But $200 million movies are a risk, too. And a $200 million movie doesn’t always work out. Instead of making one $200 million movie, try making 10 $20 million movies or four $50 million movies.
“The next Martin Scorsese is out there,” Jefferson said of other directors with nominated films at the Academy Awards on Sunday. “The next Greta is out there, both Gretas [Gerwig and Lee]. The next Christopher Nolan.”
“Poor Things” picked up three consecutive Oscars after the screenwriters, winning for best hair and makeup, best production design, and best costumes, the latter of which was handed out by a supposedly nude John Cena.
Host Jimmy Kimmel noted the infamous Oscar ceremony in the early ’70s when a streaker ran across stage as David Niven presented an award. That turned out to be the introduction of a bit in which Cena was supposed to run across the stage naked by had second thoughts. After Kimmel and Cena – his lower half hidden behind a piece of the set – argued about it for a moment he walked on stage holding a large envelope over his crotch.
“Costumes … they are so important,” he began, as the crowd laughed. “Maybe the most important thing there is.”
After Kimmel came out to help him announce the nominees without moving the envelope, costume designer Holly Waddington, wearing a gown with big poofy shoulders like those Emma Stone wore in “Poor Things,” came out to accept the Oscar for costume design for the film.