BAFTA Awards
Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande and Zendaya are used to running up against each other on the Billboard Hot 100 and running into each other at music awards shows.
But now they may also be bumping into each other at non-music awards shows. Pop Stan accounts are buzzing about the possibility that these multi-threats could be nominated for acting awards early next year. Oscar nominations are extremely hard to come by, but Golden Globes (having separate comedy and drama categories) and SAG Awards (having both individual and ensemble categories) are a bit easier to crack.
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Let’s take a closer look at these pop stars who are hoping for acting nods.
Lady Gaga
Film: Joker: Folie à Deux
Acting Nods: Gaga received an Oscar nod for actress in a leading role six years ago for playing Ally in A Star Is Born. She also received BAFTA and Golden Globe nods for both that role and for House of Gucci (2022). She won a Globe for TV’s American Horror Story: Hotel (2016). And she has received four SAG Award nominations – as lead actress and also as part of the cast of both A Star Is Born and House of Gucci.
Notes: Gaga more than held her own with Bradley Cooper in A Star Is Born. If she’s good in this sequel to 2019’s Joker, she could easily be nominated. Joker: Folie à Deux is a musical psychological thriller directed by Todd Phillips, who received three Oscar nominations for his work on Joker – directing, writing and best picture. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, reprising his Oscar-winning role as the Joker, with Gaga joining the cast as his love interest Harley Quinn. Joker: Folie à Deux is scheduled for an international theatrical release on Oct. 2, followed by a U.S. release on Oct. 4.
Selena Gomez
Film: Emilia Pérez
Acting Nods: Gomez was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for the third season of Only Murders in the Building. She has been nominated for a Golden Globe in that category in each of the last two years. And she has been nominated for a SAG Award for ensemble in a comedy series all three years the show has been on the air.
Notes: It took a while for the Emmy acting nod to come, but that’s always been a very competitive category, back to the days of Lucy and Mary Tyler Moore. And Gomez had to prove that she was a full partner with comedy greats Steve Martin and Martin Short. Over the course of three seasons, she has done that.
Emilia Pérez is a Spanish-language French musical crime comedy written and directed by Jacques Audiard. It also stars Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Adriana Paz, Mark Ivanir and Édgar Ramírez. The film premiered on May 18 at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize and its female ensemble won the best actress award. The film has grossed $4.7 million worldwide since its theatrical release in August.
Ariana Grande
Film: Wicked
Acting Nods: Grande was nominated for a SAG Award for cast in a motion picture for Don’t Look Up.
Notes: Wicked is an upcoming musical fantasy directed by Jon M. Chu. It’s the first of a two-part film adaptation of the stage musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, which received 10 Tony nominations in 2004 (winning three). The film stars Cynthia Erivo and Grande. Wicked will premiere in London on Nov. 18, with a U.S. theatrical release scheduled for Nov. 22. The sequel, Wicked Part Two, is scheduled to be released on Nov. 21, 2025.
Zendaya
Film: Challengers
Acting Nods: Zendaya won two Primetime Emmys for outstanding lead actress in a drama series (2020 and 2022) for her role as Rue on HBO’s Euphoria. The first win made her, at age 24, the youngest winner in the history of the category. The second made her the first Black actress to win twice. Zendaya also won a Golden Globe for best performance by an actress in a television series – drama (2023) for that role. And she was nominated for a SAG Award for female actor in a drama series in 2023.
Notes: This is a lead role, which would make a nomination harder to land. But she was very good in the sexy and critically acclaimed film.
Challengers is a romantic sports drama directed by Luca Guadagnino, who received an Oscar nod for best picture as a producer of Call Me by Your Name. It stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist. The film has grossed $50.1 million in domestically and $94.2 million worldwide since opening in April.
There were mixed results for “Barbenheimer” in the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards nominations, which were announced on Thursday (Jan. 18). Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer was the most nominated film, with 13 nods, but Greta Gerwig’s Barbie received just five nods and was passed over for both best film and best director. Oddly, the BAFTAs don’t have a category for best original song, which would have boosted Barbie’s total.
Poor Things was runner-up to Oppenheimer for most nods (11), followed by Killers of the Flower Moon and The Zone of Interest, with nine each; Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers and Maestro, with seven each; and All of Us Strangers with six. Barbie tied with Saltburn, with five nods.
Nominees for best original score are the late Robbie Robertson for Killers of the Flower Moon, Ludwig Göransson for Oppenheimer, Jerskin Fendrix for Poor Things, Anthony Willis for Saltburn and Daniel Pemberton for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. All five of these scores are on the Oscar shortlist for best original score, announced on Dec. 21. Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 23.
Last year, four of the five BAFTA-nominated scores were also nominated for Oscars.
Killers of the Flower Moon was the 12th and last Martin Scorsese film that Robertson worked on. Robertson died in June at age 80.
While Killers of the Flower Moon did well in the nominations, the film’s director, Scorsese, and lead actress, Lily Gladstone, were passed over for nods.
Two music docs are nominated for documentary – American Symphony, about Jon Batiste, and Wham!, about the 1980s chart-topping pop duo.
Bradley Cooper was nominated for lead actor, director and original screenplay for his second film as a director, Maestro. He was also a triple nominee for his first film as a director, A Star Is Born (though his writing nod on that film was for best adapted screenplay).
Fantasia Barrino is nominated for best actress for her role in The Color Purple.
Sandra Hüller was nominated for both lead actress (Anatomy of a Fall) and supporting actress (The Zone of Interest).
With both Gerwig and Emerald Fennell (Saltburn) were passed over for director nods; the only woman director in the running is Justine Triet for Anatomy of a Fall.
The BAFTA Film Awards ceremony takes place Feb. 18 from London’s Royal Festival Hall, with David Tennant, star of Doctor Who, hosting.
Here’s the full list of nominations for the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards:
Best film
Anatomy of a Fall — Marie-Ange Luciani, David Thion
The Holdovers — Mark Johnson
Killers of the Flower Moon — Dan Friedkin, Daniel Lupi, Martin Scorsese, Bradley Thomas
Oppenheimer — Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven, Emma Thomas
Poor Things — Ed Guiney, Yorgos Lanthimos, Andrew Lowe, Emma Stone
Leading actress
Fantasia Barrino, The Color Purple
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Vivian Oparah, Rye Lane
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Emma Stone, Poor Things
Leading actor
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Barry Keoghan, Saltburn
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Teo Yoo, Past Lives
Supporting actress
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
Claire Foy, All of Us Strangers
Sandra Hüller, The Zone of Interest
Rosamund Pike, Saltburn
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Supporting actor
Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Jacob Elordi, Saltburn
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Paul Mescal, All of Us Strangers
Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers
Director
All of Us Strangers, Andrew Haigh
Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet
The Holdovers, Alexander Payne
Maestro, Bradley Cooper
Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan
The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer
Original screenplay
Anatomy of a Fall — Justine Triet, Arthur Harari
Barbie — Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach
The Holdovers — David Hemingson
Maestro — Bradley Cooper, Josh Singer
Past Lives — Celine Song
Adapted screenplay
All of Us Strangers, Andrew Haigh
American Fiction, Cord Jefferson
Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan
Poor Things, Tony McNamara
The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer
Original score
Killers of the Flower Moon, Robbie Robertson
Oppenheimer, Ludwig Göransson
Poor Things, Jerskin Fendrix
Saltburn, Anthony Willis
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Daniel Pemberton
Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer
Blue Bag Life — Lisa Selby (Director), Rebecca Lloyd-Evans (Director, Producer), Alex Fry (Producer)
Bobi Wine: The People’s President — Christopher Sharp (Director) [also directed Moses Bwayo]
Earth Mama — Savanah Leaf (Writer, Director, Producer), Shirley O’Connor (Producer), Medb Riordan (Producer)
How to Have Sex — Molly Manning Walker (Writer, Director)
Is There Anybody Out There? — Ella Glendining (Director)
Film not in the English language
20 Days in Mariupol — Mstyslav Chernov, Raney Aronson Rath
Anatomy of a Fall — Justine Triet, Marie-Ange Luciani, David Thion
Past Lives — Celine Song, David Hinojosa, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon
Society of the Snow — J.A. Bayona, Belen Atienza
The Zone of Interest — Jonathan Glazer
Animated film
The Boy and the Heron — Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget — Sam Fell, Leyla Hobart, Steve Pegram
Elemental — Peter Sohn, Denise Ream
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse — Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, Avi Arad, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Amy Pascal, Christina Steinberg
Outstanding British film
All of Us Strangers — Andrew Haigh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Sarah Harvey
How to Have Sex — Molly Manning Walker, Emily Leo, Ivana MacKinnon, Konstantinos Kontovrakis
Napoleon — Ridley Scott, Mark Huffam, Kevin J. Walsh, David Scarpa
The Old Oak — Ken Loach, Rebecca O’Brien, Paul Laverty
Poor Things — Yorgos Lanthimos, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Emma Stone, Tony McNamara
Rye Lane — Raine Allen-Miller, Yvonne Isimeme Ibazebo, Damian Jones, Nathan Bryon, Tom Melia
Saltburn — Emerald Fennell, Josey McNamara, Margot Robbie
Scrapper — Charlotte Regan, Theo Barrowclough
Wonka — Paul King, Alexandra Derbyshire, David Heyman, Simon Farnaby
The Zone of Interest — Jonathan Glazer, James Wilson, Ewa Puszczyńska
Documentary
20 Days in Mariupol — Mstyslav Chernov, Raney Aronson Rath
American Symphony — Matthew Heineman, Lauren Domino, Joedan Okun
Beyond Utopia — Madeleine Gavin, Rachel Cohen, Jana Edelbaum
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie — Davis Guggenheim, Jonathan King, Annetta Marion
Wham! — Chris Smith
Casting
All of Us Strangers — Kahleen Crawford
Anatomy of a Fall — Cynthia Arra
The Holdovers — Susan Shopmaker
How to Have Sex — Isabella Odoffin
Killers of the Flower Moon — Ellen Lewis, Rene Haynes
Cinematography
Killers of the Flower Moon, Rodrigo Prieto
Maestro, Matthew Libatique
Oppenheimer, Hoyte van Hoytema
Poor Things, Robbie Ryan
The Zone of Interest, Łukasz Żal
Editing
Anatomy of a Fall, Laurent Sénéchal
Killers of the Flower Moon, Thelma Schoonmaker
Oppenheimer, Jennifer Lame
Poor Things, Yorgos Mavropsaridis
The Zone of Interest, Paul Watts
Costume design
Barbie, Jacqueline Durran
Killers of the Flower Moon, Jacqueline West
Napoleon, Dave Crossman, Janty Yates
Oppenheimer, Ellen Mirojnick
Poor Things, Holly Waddington
Makeup & hair
Killers of the Flower Moon — Kay Georgiou, Thomas Nellen
Maestro — Sian Grigg, Kay Georgiou, Kazu Hiro, Lori McCoy-Bell
Napoleon — Jana Carboni, Francesco Pegoretti, Satinder Chumber, Julia Vernon
Oppenheimer — Luisa Abel, Jaime Leigh McIntosh, Jason Hamer, Ahou Mofid
Poor Things — Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier, Josh Weston
Production design
Barbie — Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
Killers of the Flower Moon — Jack Fisk, Adam Willis
Oppenheimer — Ruth De Jong, Claire Kaufman
Poor Things — Shona Heath, James Price, Zsuzsa Mihalek
The Zone of Interest — Chris Oddy, Joanna Maria Kuś, Katarzyna Sikora
Sound
Ferrari — Angelo Bonanni, Tony Lamberti, Andy Nelson, Lee Orloff, Bernard Weiser
Maestro — Richard King, Steve Morrow, Tom Ozanich, Jason Ruder, Dean Zupancic
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One — Chris Burdon, James H. Mather, Chris Munro, Mark Taylor
Oppenheimer — Willie Burton, Richard King, Kevin O’Connell, Gary A. Rizzo
The Zone of Interest — Johnnie Burn, Tarn Willers
Special visual effects
The Creator — Jonathan Bullock, Charmaine Chan, Ian Comley, Jay Cooper
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 — Theo Bialek, Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One — Neil Corbould, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland, Alex Wuttke
Napoleon — Henry Badgett, Neil Corbould, Charley Henley, Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet
Poor Things — Simon Hughes
British short animation
Crab Day — Ross Stringer, Bartosz Stanislawek, Aleksandra Sykulak
Visible Mending — Samantha Moore, Tilley Bancroft
Wild Summon — Karni Arieli, Saul Freed, Jay Woolley
British short film
Festival of Slaps — Abdou Cissé, Cheri Darbon, George Telfer
Gorka — Joe Weiland, Alex Jefferson
Jellyfish and Lobster — Yasmin Afifi, Elizabeth Rufai
Such a Lovely Day — Simon Woods, Polly Stokes, Emma Norton, Kate Phibbs
Yellow — Elham Ehsas, Dina Mousawi, Azeem Bhati, Yiannis Manolopoulos
EE rising star award (public-voted)
Phoebe Dynevor
Ayo Edebiri
Jacob Elordi
Mia McKenna-Bruce
Sophie Wilde
It’s a crossover approximately zero people expected to happen, but somehow, it kind of works. Ever the visionary, Jimmy Fallon showed his Tonight Show viewers what it would be like if Ariana DeBose’s viral BAFTAs rap — “Angela Bassett did the thing,” you know the one — was performed by, of all people, Neil Young.
In a hilarious skit on the late-night show Monday (Feb. 27), Fallon took the stage dressed in his familiar Neil Young cosplay (bootcut jeans, a cowboy hat, long, straight hair covering his face) and performed an acoustic guitar version of DeBose’s polarizing performance, occasionally accompanying himself on harmonica. “Viola Davis, my woman king,” Fallon sang, mimicking Young’s folksy cadence. “Blanchett, Cate, you’re a genius, Jamie Lee, you are all of us.”
DeBose reacted to Fallon’s take on her Instagram Story, re-sharing the video and leaving a mind-blown emoji.
The Tonight Show host is one of many to recreate the West Side Story actress’ viral rap, which she performed while opening the BAFTAs earlier this month. Soon after clips of a breathless DeBose earnestly paying tribute to the night’s female nominees hit Twitter, a flurry of jokes, memes, compliments and critiques ensued, making the song one of the first truly iconic internet moments of 2023.
Adele even shouted out DeBose at one of her recent concerts after the clip went viral, as did Lizzo. “Angela Bassett did the thing,” the “Truth Hurts” musician quoted onstage, mimicking DeBose’s now famous shoulder shimmy.
Watch Jimmy Fallon perform Ariana Debose’s viral BAFTAs rap as Neil Young above.
Angela Bassett did the thing. The actress sent a DM to Ariana DeBose to make sure she was OK after the loud criticism her BAFTA Awards opening musical medley received last weekend.
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“I DMed her last night,” Bassett told Variety on the red carpet of the NAACP Image Awards Saturday night (Feb. 25). “I did. It was beautiful, it was beautiful, it was beautiful. I just wanted to make sure she was OK because it’s a lot of attention, and she is A-OK.”
DeBose — who won the BAFTA supporting actress award last year for West Side Story — returned to the awards ceremony this year to open the show on Feb. 19 with a rap performance inspired by this year’s female nominees, including Bassett, who was the subject of perhaps the most talked-about lyric.
“That was the assignment. Like, ‘Come celebrate women,’ and I was like, ‘Absolutely!’ We did that and it was fun. Not gonna lie, I had a blast,” DeBose told BBC Radio 2’s The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show.
But before DeBose spoke out about it, she had been barraged with snarky criticism and memes of her performance, which led to deactivating her Twitter account.
BAFTAs producer Nick Bullen also came to DeBose’s defense, noting, “I think it’s incredibly unfair, to be frank. I absolutely loved it. Everybody I’ve spoken to who was in the room absolutely loved it. She’s a huge star, she was amazing.”
Watch the clip of Bassett talking about DeBose on the red carpet below.
Ariana DeBose is opening up about her show-opening musical medley at the 2023 BAFTA Awards.
During an interview on BBC Radio 2’s The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, the Oscar-winning singer and actress spoke out for the first time since receiving backlash on social media after performing an original rap in honor of the female nominees at the Feb. 19 awards show in London.
Host Zoe Ball opened the conversation by praising DeBose’s performance, which mixed a high-energy medley of Eurythmics‘ “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” and Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family” with a rap number that named-checked famous actresses like Angela Bassett, Viola Davis and Jamie Lee Curtis.
“You know what, you might be one of the few,” the West Side Story film reboot actress responded in a video of the interview, which was shared through TikTok on Saturday (Feb. 25). “I’ll take it, because you’re my people.”
The radio show host added, “It was a woman, singing and dancing, being magnificent, celebrating women onstage. Come on!” DeBose agreed, saying, “That’s what I wanted to do.”
“Honestly, it’s not like I’m like, ‘Hey BAFTA, let me in!’ They actually called me, believe it or not,” the actress-singer continued. “But that was the assignment. Like, ‘Come celebrate women,’ and I was like, ‘Absolutely!’ We did that and it was fun. Not gonna lie, I had a blast.”
DeBose went on to say that Elvis director Baz Luhrmann found her after the show and gave her positive feedback about the performance. She also noted that “gay Twitter seemed to like it, so that’s good. I’ll take it.”
But not all viewers enjoyed the musical medley. Following the performance, DeBose faced an avalanche of snarky criticism and memes on social media, which led to the star deactivating her Twitter account.
After the show, BAFTAs producer Nick Bullen came to DeBose’s defense. “I think it’s incredibly unfair, to be frank. I absolutely loved it,” Bullen told Variety. “Everybody I’ve spoken to who was in the room absolutely loved it. She’s a huge star, she was amazing.”
Another admirer of DeBose’s rap was Lizzo, who recreated the viral rap moment during a recent concert. DeBose caught wind of the TikTok video and reposted it on her Instagram page. “The internet is wild y’all!” the West Side Story star wrote. “Appreciate all the love.”
Watch a portion of DeBose’s BBC interview on TikTok below.
Lizzo did the thing. And “the thing,” of course, is the viral rap Ariana DeBose performed at the BAFTA Awards on Feb. 19, part of which the “About Damn Time” singer recreated at a recent concert.
In a Thursday night (Feb. 23) TikTok video from one of Lizzo’s recent shows, the four-time Grammy winner — looking radiant in a glittering leotard — talks to her audience onstage in between songs. “Let’s shake it off,” she says, before taking a stab at the line from DeBose’s rap that the internet is probably the most obsessed with: “Angela Bassett did the thing.”
Lizzo even did her own version of the shoulder shimmy the West Side Story film reboot actress did while performing at the BAFTAs, opening the awards show with an original rap in honor of some of the female nominees. “Angela Bassett did the thing/ Viola Davis my ‘Woman King’/ Blanchett Cate you’re a genius/ Jamie Lee you are all of us,” DeBose sang in a clip from the show that quickly set Twitter ablaze, as many of the actresses she mentioned stared blankly.
Like so many viral moments, it’s hard to pinpoint why exactly DeBose’s earnest number has been amplified and passed around as much as it has been by the internet in the past few days — evidenced by the loud cheers Lizzo received immediately after referencing it in concert — but between the clunky lyrics, campy dance moves and the camera cutting to Jamie Lee Curtis jamming out, one of the first iconic memes of 2023 was born. Some viewers’ responses to the Oscar winner’s performance were a little harsh, however, and DeBose has since deactivated her Twitter account.
People got so carried away, BAFTAs producer Nick Bullen later felt the need to come to DeBose’s defense. “I think it’s incredibly unfair, to be frank. I absolutely loved it,” Bullen told Variety after the show. “Everybody I’ve spoken to who was in the room absolutely loved it. She’s a huge star, she was amazing.”
Watch Lizzo recreate Ariana DeBose’s viral BAFTAs rap below:
Ariana DeBose did her homework before taking the stage to open the 2023 BAFTA Awards on Sunday night. The Oscar-winning singer/actress faced an avalanche of snarky criticism and memes after she performed a bit that mixed a high-energy version of a 1985 Eurythmics/Aretha Franklin collaboration with an original rap ticking off some of the famous and nominated women in the room.
And though some commenters dinged DeBose for what they deemed clunky bars, ever the professional, Ariana definitely had the routine down before hitting the stage, as evidenced by a 35-second TikTok video shared by Broadway music director Benjamin Rauhala on Wednesday (Feb. 22).
In the clip, the actress smiled and shimmied in place as her received her final makeup touches, with the on-screen graphics reading, “We did the thing… backstage with Ariana getting ready to… do the thing… We had SO much fun celebrating the brilliant female nominees at the BAFTAs. It was an honour to give love to all these iconic women and to get the party started.”
In fact, DeBose was bristling with energy as she put some extra on certain names and lines, still at it just before going on stage as her team adjusted the tear-away sections of her voluminous magenta gown. And though DeBose has not made an official public statement about the blowback, Rauhala’s TikTok ended with a suggestion that all fair in love and memes.
“We are giggling at everyone who has our campy little number stuck in their head. Thank you for the love and hilarious memes,” read one of the final captions. “She did the thing.”
The producer of Sunday night’s show, Nick Bullen, told Variety magazine earlier this week that the pile-on was unwarranted. “We wanted to open the show with some energy, some fun, and also lay out straight away that this was hopefully going to feel like a different night, but with a familiarity as well, and what Ariana did was exactly that,” producer Bullen said the morning after the telecast. He said that DeBose and her team put the entire bit together in close consultation with the show’s musical director and choreographer and that he didn’t think she deserved the biting reaction.
The highly choreographed bit opened with DeBose singing “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” as a group of dancers pulled at her dress and removed long pieces of fabric. The performance then flipped into a solo rap in which DeBose did call-outs to a variety of actresses in the audience.
It was the latter bit — specifically her awkward Angela Bassett and Viola Davis shout-outs — that got the Twitterverse revved up. “Angela Bassett did the thing/ Viola Davis my ‘Woman King’/ Blanchett Cate you’re a genius/ Jamie Lee you are all of us,” rapped DeBose in a clip that quickly went viral after the show thanks to what looked like less-than-enthusiastic looks on the faces of some of the actresses she mentioned.
“I think it’s incredibly unfair, to be frank. I absolutely loved it,” Bullen told Variety of the criticism. “Everybody I’ve spoken to who was in the room absolutely loved it. She’s a huge star, she was amazing. The songs she was singing are very familiar songs, the room was clapping, and people were sort of dancing to the music. That rap section in the middle, mentioning the women in the room, was because it’s been a great year for women in film, and we wanted to celebrate that. And here is a woman of color who is at the absolute top of her game.”
DeBose deactivated her Twitter account after the online backlash.
Watch the TikTok below.
The producer of Sunday night’s 2023 BAFTA Awards hit back at the Twitter criticism heaped on singer/actress Ariana DeBose‘s show-opening musical medley after the West Side Story star came under fire for the bit that mixed a classic 1980s hit with an original rap.
“We wanted to open the show with some energy, some fun, and also lay out straight away that this was hopefully going to feel like a different night, but with a familiarity as well, and what Ariana did was exactly that,” producer Nick Bullen told Variety the morning after the telecast. He said that DeBose and her team put the entire bit together in close consultation with the show’s musical director and choreographer and that he didn’t think she deserved the biting backlash.
Bullen said the criticism was “incredibly unfair” and that despite the awkwardness on the telecast, the mood in the room was “more celebratory.”
“I think a lot of people don’t like change, and there’s a view that the BAFTAs have to be this slightly stiff, traditional British, middle-England messaging,” said Bullen. “But American awards shows have much more razzmatazz, much more showbiz, and perhaps a broader range of people being involved. We felt we’re not about revolution, we’re about evolution.”
The highly choreographed bit opened with DeBose singing a high-energy version of the Eurythmics’ “Sisters Are Doing it For Themselves,” as a group of dancers pulled at her dress and removed long pieces of fabric. The performance then flipped into a solo rap in which DeBose did call-outs to a variety of nominated actors and celebs in the audience.
It was the latter bit — specifically her awkward Angela Bassett and Viola Davis shout-outs — that got the Twitterverse revved up. “Angela Bassett did the thing/ Viola Davis my ‘Woman King’/ Blanchett Cate you’re a genius/ Jamie Lee you are all of us,” rapped DeBose in a clip that quickly went viral after the show thanks to what looked like less-than-enthusiastic looks on the faces of the actresses she mentioned.
“I think it’s incredibly unfair, to be frank. I absolutely loved it,” Bullen told Variety of the pile-on. “Everybody I’ve spoken to who was in the room absolutely loved it. She’s a huge star, she was amazing. The songs she was singing are very familiar songs, the room was clapping, and people were sort of dancing to the music. That rap section in the middle, mentioning the women in the room, was because it’s been a great year for women in film, and we wanted to celebrate that. And here is a woman of color who is at the absolute top of her game.”
Oscar winner DeBose deactivated her Twitter account after the online backlash to the performance and at press time had not made a public statement about the divided reaction.
Watch DeBose’s performance and check out some of the responses below.
Volker Bertelmann’s score for All Quiet on the Western Front won a BAFTA Award for best original score on Sunday (Feb. 19). The awards were presented at Royal Festival Hall in London. The score is also nominated for an Academy Award in that category.
This was Bertelmann’s second BAFTA nomination, but his first on his own and his first under his own name. He was nominated six years ago for Lion, on which he teamed with Dustin O’Halloran. Bertelmann went by the name Hauschka at the time. He and O’Halloran were also nominated for an Oscar for that film, but lost both awards to Justin Hurwitz for La La Land.
The other scores nominated for a BAFTA Award this year were Babylon (Hurwitz), The Banshees of Inisherin (Carter Burwell), Everything Everywhere All at Once (Son Lux) and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Alexandre Desplat).
All of those scores except Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio are also nominated for Oscars. John Williams’ score for The Fabelmans is nominated instead at the Oscars. Oscar voting will conducted from March 2-7. The awards will be presented on March 12.
Unlike the Oscars, the BAFTAs don’t present an award for best original song.
All Quiet on the Western Front won in six other categories at the BAFTAs – best picture, best director (Edward Berger), best adapted screenplay, best film not in the English language, best cinematography and best sound.
Austin Butler won best actor in a leading role for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in Elvis. Cate Blanchett won best actress in a leading role for Tár. The awards for best actor and actress in a supporting role went to Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon, both for The Banshees Inisherin.
All Quiet on the Western Front leads this year’s BAFTA nominations with 14 nods, which puts it in a tie with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) as the most-nominated non-English language film in BAFTA history.
The Banshees of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All at Once are tied for second place in overall nominations this year with 10 nods.
All three of these films are nominated for best original score. Volker Bertelmann scored All Quiet on the Western Front; Carter Burwell scored The Banshees of Inisherin and Son Lux scored Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The other nominees for original score are Babylon (Justin Hurwitz) and Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (Alexandre Desplat).
All five of these scores were among the 15 scores shortlisted for Oscars on Dec. 21. Oscar nominations will be announced on Tuesday Jan. 24.
Desplat is a three-time winner for original score at the BAFTA Awards — for The King’s Speech (2010), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and The Shape of Water (2017). Only two other composers have won three or more awards in this category in the history of the BAFTAs. John Williams leads with seven wins, followed by Ennio Morricone with six. Hurwitz won in this category at the BAFTAs six years ago for La La Land.
Bertelmann referenced All Quiet’s strong showing in a statement: “I am deeply honored to be nominated for a BAFTA, especially in connection with such a well-crafted and meaningful film. The collaboration with [director] Edward Berger gave me the freedom to work on a score without compromise. I am very thankful for that. Congrats to Edward, the producers and the entire team on their 14 nominations.”
In a statement, Son Lux, the composer of Everything Everywhere All at Once, said: “Our heads are spinning and our hearts are full. Thanks to BAFTA for this honor, to Daniels [directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert] for their boundless vision and trust, and to each and every member of the EEAAO [Everything Everywhere All at Once] family for inspiring us beyond words.”
The BAFTAs do not have a best original song category.
In other nominations of interest to the music community, Austin Butler was nominated for leading actor for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in Elvis, and Brett Morgan’s David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream is up for documentary.
These are the first BAFTA nominations for Butler, Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Brendan Fraser (The Whale) and Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once), among others.
Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical family drama The Fabelmans received just one BAFTA nomination, for original screenplay – on which Spielberg collaborated with Tony Kushner. Sarah Polley’s Women Talking was shut out entirely.
In the best director category, four of the six nominated directors are first-time nominees in that category: Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King); Todd Field (Tár), Kwan and Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front).
Actors Hayley Atwell and Toheeb Jimoh announced this year’s BAFTA nominations via a live broadcast from BAFTA’s London headquarters on Thursday (Jan. 19). This year’s awards will be presented at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday, Feb. 19.
Here’s the complete list of BAFTA Award nominations.
Original score
All Quiet on the Western Front – Volker Bertelmann
Babylon – Justin Hurwitz
The Banshees of Inisherin – Carter Burwell
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Son Lux
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio – Alexandre Desplat
Best film
All Quiet on the Western Front – Malte Grunert
The Banshees Of Inisherin – Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin Mcdonagh
Elvis – Gail Berman, Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Patrick Mccormick, Schuyler Weiss
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Jonathan Wang
Tár – Todd Field, Scott Lambert, Alexandra Milchan
Leading actress
Cate Blanchett – Tár
Viola Davis – The Woman King
Danielle Deadwyler – Till
Ana De Armas – Blonde
Emma Thompson – Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Leading actor
Austin Butler – Elvis
Colin Farrell – The Banshees of Inisherin
Brendan Fraser – The Whale
Daryl Mccormack – Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Paul Mescal – Aftersun
Bill Nighy – Living
Supporting actress
Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Hong Chau – The Whale
Kerry Condon – The Banshees of Inisherin
Dolly De Leon – Triangle of Sadness
Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Carey Mulligan – She Said
Supporting actor
Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees of Inisherin
Barry Keoghan – The Banshees of Inisherin
Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Eddie Redmayne – The Good Nurse
Albrecht Schuch – All Quiet on the Western Front
Micheal Ward – Empire of Light
Director
All Quiet on the Western Front – Edward Berger
The Banshees of Inisherin – Martin Mcdonagh
Decision to Leave – Park Chan-wook
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Tár – Todd Field
The Woman King – Gina Prince-bythewood
Original screenplay
The Banshees of Inisherin – Martin Mcdonagh
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
The Fabelmans – Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg
Tár – Todd Field
Triangle of Sadness – Ruben Östlund
Adapted screenplay
All Quiet on the Western Front – Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell
Living – Kazuo Ishiguro
The Quiet Girl – Colm Bairéad
She Said – Rebecca Lenkiewicz
The Whale – Samuel D. Hunter
Film not in the English language
All Quiet on the Western Front – Edward Berger, Malte Grunert
Argentina, 1985 – Santiago Mitre, Producer(S) Tbc
Corsage – Marie Kreutzer
Decision to Leave – Park Chan-wook, Ko Dae-seok
The Quiet Girl – Colm Bairéad, Cleona Ní Chrualaoí
Documentary
All That Breathes – Shaunak Sen, Teddy Leifer, Aman Mann
All The Beauty and the Bloodshed – Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, John Lyons
Fire of Love – Sara Dosa, Shane Boris, Ina Fichman
Moonage Daydream – Brett Morgan
Navalny – Daniel Roher, Diane Becker, Shane Boris, Melanie Miller, Odessa Rae
Animated film
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio – Guillermo Del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar, Alex Bulkley
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On – Dean Fleisher Camp, Andrew Goldman, Elisabeth Holm, Caroline Kaplan, Paul Mezey
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish – Joel Crawford, Mark Swift
Turning Red – Domee Shi, Lindsey Collins
Casting
Aftersun – Lucy Pardee
All Quiet on the Western Front – Simone Bär
Elvis – Nikki Barrett, Denise Chamian
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Sarah Halley Finn
Triangle Of Sadness – Pauline Hansson
Cinematography
All Quiet on the Western Front – James Friend
The Batman – Greig Fraser
Elvis – Mandy Walker
Empire of Light – Roger Deakins
Top Gun: Maverick – Claudio Miranda
Editing
All Quiet on the Western Front – Sven Budelmann
The Banshees of Inisherin – Mikkel E. G. Nielsen
Elvis – Jonathan Redmond, Matt Villa
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Paul Rogers
Top Gun: Maverick – Eddie Hamilton
Production design
All Quiet on the Western Front – Christian M. Goldbeck, Ernestine Hipper
Babylon – Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino
The Batman – James Chinlund, Lee Sandales
Elvis – Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Bev Dunn
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio – Curt Enderle, Guy Davis
Costume design
All Quiet on the Western Front – Lisy Christl
Amsterdam – J.R. Hawbaker, Albert Wolsky
Babylon – Mary Zophres
Elvis – Catherine Martin
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris – Jenny Beavan
Make up & hair
All Quiet on the Western Front – Heike Merker
The Batman – Naomi Donne, Mike Marino, Zoe Tahir
Elvis – Jason Baird, Mark Coulier, Louise Coulston, Shane Thomas
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical – Naomi Donne, Barrie Gower, Sharon Martin
The Whale – Anne Marie Bradley, Judy Chin, Adrien Morot
Sound
All Quiet on the Western Front – Lars Ginzsel, Frank Kruse, Viktor Prášil, Markus Stemler
Avatar: The Way of Water – Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Julian Howarth, Gary Summers, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
Elvis – Michael Keller, David Lee, Andy Nelson, Wayne Pashley
Tár – Deb Adair, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley, Steve Single, Roland Winke
Top Gun: Maverick – Chris Burdon, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Mark Taylor, Mark Weingarten
Special visual effects
All Quiet on the Western Front – Markus Frank, Kamil Jafar, Viktor Müller, Frank Petzoid
Avatar: The Way of Water – Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon
The Batman – Russell Earl, Dan Lemmon, Anders Langlands, Dominic Tuohy
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Benjamin Brewer, Ethan Feldbau, Jonathan Kombrinck, Zak Stoltz
Top Gun: Maverick – Seth Hill, Scott R. Fisher, Bryan Litson, Ryan Tudhope
Outstanding British film
Aftersun – Charlotte Wells, Producer(S) Tbc
The Banshees of Inisherin – Martin Mcdonagh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin
Brian and Charles – Jim Archer, Rupert Majendie, David Earl, Chris Hayward
Empire of Light – Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande – Sophie Hyde, Debbie Gray, Adrian Politowski, Katy Brand
Living – Oliver Hermanus, Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley, Kazuo Ishiguro
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical – Matthew Warchus, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn, Luke Kelly, Dennis Kelly
See How They Run – Tom George, Gina Carter, Damian Jones, Mark Chappell
The Swimmers – Sally El Hosaini, Producer(S) Tbc, Jack Thorne
The Wonder – Sebastián Lelio, Ed Guiney, Juliette Howell, Andrew Lowe, Tessa Ross, Alice Birch, Emma Donoghue
Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer
Aftersun – Charlotte Wells (Writer/director)
Blue Jean – Georgia Oakley (Writer/director), Hélène Sifre (Producer)
Electric Malady – Marie Lidén (Director)
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande – Katy Brand (Writer)
Rebellion – Maia Kenworthy (Director)
British short animation
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse – Peter Baynton, Charlie Mackesy, Cara Speller, Hannah Minghella
Middle Watch – John Stevenson, Aiesha Penwarden, Giles Healy
Your Mountain Is Waiting – Hannah Jacobs, Zoe Muslim, Harriet Gillian
British short film
The Ballad of Olive Morris – Alex Kayode-kay
Bazigaga – Jo Ingabire Moys, Stephanie Charmail
Bus Girl – Jessica Henwick, Louise Palmkvist Hansen
A Drifting Up – Jacob Lee
An Irish Goodbye – Tom Berkeley, Ross White
EE rising star award (voted for by the public)
Aimee Lou Wood
Daryl Mccormack
Emma Mackey
Naomi Ackie
Sheila Atim
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