It was a night that began with the beat of drums and ended with the grandest applause of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Virtuoso Awards. The awards are a perennially popular event that recognizes a number of groundbreaking performances in films from the previous year.
This year’s winner — interviewed by Dave Karger for the 14th year in a row (he also hosts the show) turner classic movies) — including America Ferrera (barbie), Lily Gladstone (Murderers of the Flower Moon), Greta Lee (past life), Charles Melton (May December), Davine Joy Randolph (holdovers), Andrew Scott (all of us strangers), and two actors who sent video greetings because they were on set and couldn’t leave: Daniel Brooks (the color purple) and Colman Domingo (rustin & the color purple).
But before the evening’s more traditional festivities began, there was a special performance by musician Scott George and his Osage Tribal Ensemble, performing the Academy Award-nominated song “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People).” Did. Murderers of the Flower Moon. It was a refreshing and refreshing way to start the evening. But I watched Father Larry Gosling, the kind-hearted, music-loving Father of Old Mission Santa Barbara, get up from his seat in his priestly garb and dance alone to the beat of indigenous drums. At that time, I was impressed. There are many one-liners that give you pause and others that you refrain from sharing.
Next, we moved on to a group that Karger described as “probably the best group we’ve ever assembled for this award.” Additionally, he noted that all eight honorees were performers of color or members of the LGBTQ community, in contrast to the straight white men spotlighted at the previous night’s festival (whose performances he also praised). He pointed out that he was a member.
America Ferrera was the first to sit down for an interview following the “Monologue” clip. barbie The piece took the internet by storm, but the first few times it was “terrible,” she said. “Have you ever had to hear your own voice on a voicemail?” But eventually Ferrera got used to it, and “The first time I heard myself was at a premiere in Los Angeles.” “I was carrying my 3-year-old daughter on my lap all the time,” he said.
of barbie “No one asked for this movie, no one knew we needed this movie, but obviously we needed this movie. Being a part of it. Aside from that…I have this version of barbie The movie was what we got. ”
Andrew Scott was great as the sexy priest. free bag, I explained what happened last year. all of us strangers It is an “incredibly thoughtful film” and, although it has some heavy aspects, “in so-called sad films, you always have to be ready to let in the light.”
Charles Melton gave a great performance as Julianne Moore’s young husband in Mary Kay Letourneau’s adjacent film May December, I shared that I completed it in just 23 days. Admittedly, working with Moore, Natalie Portman, and director Todd Haynes was a little intimidating. riverdale “I kept telling myself to just focus on work,” the alum said. I understand that you want to be liked, but please focus on your work.” It was a great experience.
Although she is a non-smoker (she is a trained opera singer), she smokes a lot in her role. holdovers, Da’Vine Joy Randolph revealed that she modeled her smoking style on Bette Davis movies. She also told a very moving story about women looking at the clock. holdovers On the plane, I told her how much this movie meant to her and her family, who had recently experienced a loss that had some similarities to Randolph’s character in the movie.
Greta Lee gave a great performance past life It’s even more impressive considering her character is the exact opposite of the one she plays the morning show, she laughed out loud when she said her fellow TV cast members’ reaction to the film was, “Oh my god, Greta!” This film was definitely a breakthrough for her, and one of the reasons for that was the representation of Asia. “I don’t know the last time I saw an Asian American movie where the woman’s face was this long and this close to the screen,” she said. He added, “This script was very impressive for so many reasons: small, urgent, necessary. Like everything I’ve been looking for all my life.”
As the first Indigenous person to be nominated for an Academy Award (this year, along with musician Scott George, whom I met previously), representation was also a major theme in my discussion with Lily Gladstone. “It’s so moving to see the impact that a win for one of us means a win for all of us,” she said, dressed in a stunning feathered ensemble. Throughout this awards season, she has made it a point to wear indigenous designs on the red carpet.
After one-on-one interviews, Karger ended the night with a series of fun group questions that were clearly a love fest.