HWD Daily – The 2021 Oscars Was a Noble, Doomed Experiment
A Predictably Unpredictable Oscars
The 2021 Academy Awards kicked off in style, with a long tracking shot featuring presenter Regina King walking into a ceremony held, against all odds, in person at L.A.’s Union Station. And while many of the night’s victors were expected—like director Chloé Zhao and her best-picture-winning Nomadland—the evening had a few surprises in store as well. Best actress, a category with the potential to swing in any number of directions, wound up going to Nomadland’s Frances McDormand, cementing Zhao’s film as the night’s big winner. Even more surprisingly, sentimental favorite and clear front-runner Chadwick Boseman—who died last August at the age of 43, after a battle with colon cancer—lost best actor to Anthony Hopkins, who collected his second award in that category nearly 30 years after winning for The Silence of the Lambs.
Below, find a full list of the night’s winners; Richard Lawson’s review of the ceremony; a gallery of photographer Quil Lemons’s stunning Oscar portraits, shot exclusively for Vanity Fair; the V.F. fashion team’s picks for the night’s best-dressed stars; a recap of supporting-actress winner Yuh-Jung Youn’s charming acceptance speech, arguably the evening’s emotional high point; and a GIF of eight-time Oscar nominee doing “Da Butt” near the end of the ceremony. (We mentioned that the show was unpredictable, right?)
So, Who Won?
Nomadland takes best picture and Anthony Hopkins beats out the late Chadwick Boseman at a shaken-up pandemic ceremony.
A Doomed Experiment
Steven Soderbergh made a heroic effort to do an Academy Awards show like no other—but the old ways were sorely missed.
Ready for Their Close-Ups
To celebrate a year in film like none other, Vanity Fair partnered with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences and Instagram to capture stunning portraits of this year’s winners, nominees, and presenters.
Dressed to Impress
Everyone came ready to wow at the biggest awards show of the year—but some stood above the rest.
Yuh-Jung Youn for the Win
The South Korean star took home a trophy for her crowd-pleasing performance in Minari, then delivered an equally delightful speech. (But no, she did not smell Brad Pitt.)
