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Honestly, Olivia Colman's hilarious Oscars speech might be the best one ever.
We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which Oscars acceptance speeches they absolutely love or were the wildest to watch. Here are a few of the best responses:
Note: Not all submissions are from Community users and #10 mentions suicide.
1. First, when Olivia Colman won Best Actress for her work as Queen Anne in The Favourite (2018) and was simply super flustered by all the famous people around her and started thanking random actors.
ABC / Via youtu.be
"I keep going back to it. She just never came to terms with the fact that she won. She fangirled over Glenn Close, blew a raspberry at the camera and said, 'Argh! Lady Gaga!!' as the last line of her speech. It was hilarious."
2. When One Survivor Remembers (1995) won for Best Documentary Short Subject and Gerda Weissmann Klein, who is a Holocaust survivor and the subject of the film, beautifully accepted the award.
ABC / Via youtu.be
"The most emotional speech I've heard was one given by Gerda, who came up after a film about her won. It still sends shivers down my spine. You'll never take anything for granted after."
3. When Sacheen Littlefeather accepted Marlon Brando's second Academy Award for Best Actor for his work as Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972) because he boycotted the ceremony in protest against Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans, and to draw attention to the standoff at Wounded Knee.
4. When Bong Joon-ho won Best Directing for his work on Parasite (2019), and he thanked his fellow directors and announced he was going to get drunk after the ceremony.
ABC / Via youtu.be
"In his speech, he thanked Martin Scorsese, who also was nominated, and got the audience to do a standing ovation for him. His speech was very humble. Especially since he wasn't favored to win. Plus he joked about drinking until the next day."
5. When Troy Kotsur won Best Supporting Actor for his work as Frank Rossi in CODA (2021) and he dedicated his win to the deaf community and talked about how his family inspired him.
6. When Viola Davis won Best Supporting Actress for her work as Rose Lee Maxson in Fences (2016), and she gifted everyone with this beautiful speech about whose stories are important to her.
7. When Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress for her work as Tiffany Maxwell in Silver Linings Playbook (2012), then she tripped going up to accept her award and opened her speech with a joke about it.
8. When Sally Field won her second Academy Award for Best Actress for her work as Edna Spalding in Places in the Heart (1984) and was shocked that her peers really liked her.
9. When Adrien Brody won Best Actor for his work as Władysław Szpilman in The Pianist (2002), and he used his time on stage to kiss Halle Berry and mention the war in Iraq.
You can watch Adrien's full acceptance speech below:
View this video on YouTube
ABC / Via youtu.beNote: Adrien's speech is actually marked as "unlisted" on YouTube by The Academy.
10. When Graham Moore won Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on The Imitation Game (2014), and he gave a moving speech about how he hopes young children out there know they belong.
ABC / Via youtu.be
"Towards the end of the speech he talked about trying to kill himself when he was a teenager because he believed that he did not belong, and he dedicated his speech to 'that kid out there' who doesn't feel like they fit in. I was 14 when I watched this speech live, and I was that kid who didn't fit in and wanted to kill myself. Even though life has definitely had its downs (with a few ups) since, Graham's words gave me hope when I desperately needed them."
11. When Kate Winslet won Best Actress for her work as Hanna Schmitz in The Reader (2008) and she didn't know where her parents were seated, so her dad whistled so she could find them.
ABC / Via youtu.be
"This is one of my personal favorite Oscars speeches because I just adore Kate being so excited. From her talking about practicing her speech in a bathroom when she was a kid — and now that's where she keeps her Oscar — to the sweet moment with her parents, it's perfect from start to finish."
12. When Jack Palance won Best Supporting Actor for his work as Curly Washburn in City Slickers (1991), and he ended his speech by doing one-armed push ups.
13. When Ariana DeBose won Best Supporting Actress for her work as Anita in West Side Story (2021) and she took time to thank Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for Anita in 1962, and she talked about being an openly queer woman of color and how she hopes others know there is a place for them.
14. When Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul won Best Original Song for "City of Stars" from La La Land (2016), and Benj adorably thanked his mom for letting him quit soccer to join his school's musical.
ABC / Via youtu.be
"I'm one of those people who often goes down Oscar rabbit holes and watches acceptance speeches on YouTube just for fun. One of my absolute favorites is when Justin Paul, Justin Hurwitz, and Benj Pasek won. Benj's voice trembled throughout his speech because he was so excited — he literally cut himself off to say, 'Oh my god, I'm actually freaking out right now!' — but the best part was when he thanked his mom for letting him quit soccer so he could join the school musical. The camera then cut to his mom in the audience who was sobbing with so much joy. It's a really beautiful moment that gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. Wow. I love seeing people's dreams come true."
15. When Halle Berry won Best Actress for her work as Leticia Musgrove in Monster's Ball (2001) and became the first (and still the only) Black actor to win this award.
16. When Joaquin Phoenix won Best Actor for his work as Arthur Fleck/Joker in Joker (2019) and he quoted his late brother River Phoenix's song.
ABC / Via youtu.be
"I loved this one, especially because at the end of his speech he quoted his brother River, 'run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.' This is one speech that I think about a lot and has stayed with me since."
17. When Will Smith won Best Actor for his work as Richard Williams in King Richard (2021) and gave his acceptance speech moments after hitting Chris Rock on stage.
18. When Julia Roberts won Best Actress for her work as Erin Brockovich in Erin Brockovich (2000) and she politely told the music conductor to not even think about playing her off.
19. When Joe Pesci won Best Supporting Actor for his work as Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas (1990) and his speech consisted of only five words.
20. Daniel Kaluuya won for Best Supporting Actor for his work as Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah (2020) and he was so caught up in the moment he thanked his parents for having sex.
21. When Roberto Benigni won Best Foreign Language Film for Life Is Beautiful (1997) and he literally climbed over seats and other celebs when Sophia Loren announced the winner.
ABC / Via youtu.be
Also, Roberto won later in the evening for Best Actor for his portrayal of Guido Orefice in Life Is Beautiful. He became the first actor to win an acting award for a performance in a foreign language film since Sophia Loren won for Two Women in 1962.
22. When Jessica Chastain won Best Actress for her work as Tammy Faye Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021) and used her speech to highlight the violence and legislation against the LGBTQ+ community and to make sure everyone knows they are loved and supported.
23. When Cuba Gooding Jr. won Best Supporting Actor for his work as Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire (1996) and he started yelling over the orchestra's music as they began to play him off.
24. When Tom Hanks won his second Academy Award for Best Actor for his work as Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump (1994) and he adorably thanked Rita Wilson for teaching him what love is.
ABC / Via youtu.be
"I've always loved the short, yet very emotional speech Tom Hanks gave at the 1995 Oscars for Forrest Gump, especially when he chokes up and says, 'I am standing here because the woman I share my life with has taught me and demonstrates for me every day just what love IS.' It's so tender, but also so direct and poignant. Very classy!"
25. When Marion Cotillard won Best Actress for her work as Édith Piaf in La Vie en Rose (2007) and was pretty speechless.
26. When Ben Affleck and Matt Damon won Best Screenplay for their work on Good Will Hunting (1997), and Ben gave the speech, while Matt just reminded him of people to thank and shouted about Boston.
ABC / Via youtu.be
"Overall, I think writers tend to give the funniest speeches, but I almost never remember who they are. The speech Ben and Matt gave when they won was adorable. They are so young and excited. Ben is listing people while Matt is just yelling a thank you to all of Boston in the background."
27. When Christian Bale won Best Supporting Actor for his work as Dick "Dicky" Eklund in The Fighter (2010) and he was so flustered and emotional, he couldn't even say his wife's name.
28. When Eddie Redmayne won Best Actor for his work as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything (2014) and he was so stunned he won, he just kept looking at his statue.
ABC / Via youtu.be
"Eddie's speech seemed very heartwarming and genuine. He was so flustered yet excited at the same time. You can sense that it was a genuine reaction."
29. And finally, when Moonlight won Best Picture in 2017, but only after La La Land was accidentally crowned the winner, and Barry Jenkins delivered his acceptance speech while praising La La Land.
We can't fit everyone into one post, so which other Oscars acceptance speeches do you love or find the most jaw-dropping? Tell us in the comments below!
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
English (US) ·