Newsweek takes a look backstage to present candid reactions during the 91st Academy Awards.
It was a strange Oscars: no host, failed favorites, first-time winners, unprecedented performances and, for some, a disappointing sense that history was repeating itself.
Glenn Close has been nominated seven times for an Oscar and yet ended the night without one—losing out this time to best actress winner Olivia Colman for The Favourite. “Glenn Close, you’ve been my idol for so long,” Colman said in her acceptance speech. “This isn’t how I wanted it to be.”
Spike Lee—who gave a stirring speech on the state of America as he picked up an Oscar for best adapted screenplay for BlacKkKlansman—almost walked out when Green Book, directed by Peter Farrelly, was announced as Best Picture.
