Oscar Nominations 2017: Nominees React

Oscar nominations were announced on Tuesday morning and reactions are beginning to roll in.

Here’s how nominees reacted to the news:

Best Picture:
“Fences” 
Todd Black, Producer of “Fences”: “I could not be more excited and grateful to the Academy for recognizing our film. Extending my congratulations to Denzel and Viola and the rest of the fantastic cast and crew of FENCES who brought the words of August Wilson to life. This is a very special day, and I am just thrilled right now.”
Constanza Romero Wilson (wife of August Wilson): “I am overjoyed that August’s work is being
recognized, and that millions of people are getting the chance to see FENCES! I
feel he would be incredibly proud of the love and care that everyone involved,
especially Denzel, invested to make this film possible.”
“Manchester By The Sea”
Kimberly Steward, producer, “Manchester By The Sea”: “MANCHESTER BY THE SEA was a labor of love for everyone
involved, and for us to be honored by the Academy in this way is more than
icing on the cake — it’s more cake on the cake. It’s especially wonderful to
see Kenny, Casey, Lucas and Michelle get the recognition they deserve. But at
bottom, these honors belong to everyone on the MANCHESTER team. I feel so proud
and privileged to have had the opportunity to work with such a passionate and
talented group of people in bringing this deeply human story to the screen.”
“La La Land”
Marc Platt, Fred Berger & Jordan Horowitz, producers of “La La Land”: “We
are humbled by the number of nominations the film received this morning and
honored to be included among so many incredible films. Making LA LA LAND was a
dream come true and we’re thrilled that Damien Chazelle’s singular vision has
been recognized.”
“Lion”
Emile Sherman, Iain Canning from See-Saw Films and Angie Fielder, producers of “Lion”: “We are humbled and grateful this morning for this
fantastic honour. It’s so wonderful that the Academy has connected with LION, a
film about hope, and one which portrays the best aspects of humanity. It is so
exciting to see so many people who have worked so incredibly hard on this film
nominated, and to be able to bring the true story of Saroo and his families to
an international audience.” 

READ: Oscar Nominations 2017 (Full list of nominees)

Actor In A Leading Role:
Denzel Washington — “Fences”: “Thank you to the Academy for this wonderful recognition and for honoring August Wilson’s brilliant words. I am just lucky to have been entrusted with this project and to have the chance to work with the amazing Viola Davis and the rest of my talented cast and crew.”
Ryan Gosling — “La La Land”: “I’m
very grateful to the Academy for recognizing my work in La La Land. It was a
true collaboration, so to see everyone else’s wonderful work on the film
acknowledged so generously makes it even more special.”

Actress In A Leading Role
Emma Stone — “La La Land “: “What a morning. I am so grateful for this honor and I’m so
happy to share this feeling with my La La Land family. The greatest part of
life is connecting with people, and I love the deeply talented, kind and
passionate people I was lucky enough to work with on this movie. I’m also
overjoyed that the movie has connected with audiences in the way it has, and
that it’s hopefully bringing a kick in their step to those who watch it. This
is beyond any of our wildest imaginings and we can’t wait to celebrate
together.”
Isabelle Huppert — “Elle”: “I am infinitely grateful to the Academy, it is a
tremendous joy and honor for me. This film means so much to me and, with this nomination,
(director) Paul Verhoeven is also rewarded. I would like to sincerely thank our French producer Saïd
Ben Saïd. I am also so grateful to Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and the great,
great team from Sony Pictures Classics who supported the film and my work with
such confidence from the beginning. Thank you, thank you, thank you…”
Natalie Portman — “Jackie”: “I am so honored by the Academy’s recognition for
“Jackie”, and congratulate Mica and Madeline on their well-deserved
nominations. I couldn’t be happier to share this moment with our incredible
Director Pablo Larrain and the entire cast and crew who worked so hard on this
film. I am also humbled to join Isabelle, Meryl, Ruth and Emma – all incredibly
accomplished women I admire very much. Jackie Kennedy was a study in strength,
compassion, resilience and integrity and she provided hope for our country at a
time when it needed it most. It was one of life’s great honors to be able to
portray her on film.”

Actor In A Supporting Role:
Jeff Bridges — “Hell or High Water”: “Woke up this morning in
beautiful Solano Beach after playing a cool gig at the Belly Up with my
band the Abiders to find out I’ve been nominated for my performance in “Hell or
High Water”. What a thrill, especially for a movie that is so close to my
heart. I really dug playing with Gil, Chris and Ben and being directed by the
talented David Mackenzie. And such a GREAT script from Taylor. Woo
Hoo! Thanks Academy.”
Dev Patel — “Lion”: “Ok, so I just received a call to say that I’ve been
nominated for an Academy Award…  To be totally honest, the news hasn’t made it’s way into my
brain yet, but I’m looking at these beautiful smiling faces around me… Faces
of the ones I love. And I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude. What makes this moment so much more poignant is that I’m in
India right now. This enthralling country holds such a deep place in my heart,
and it is where Saroo’s journey was born. This film would be nothing without Garth Davis. Without his
love, commitment and vision this “Lion” wouldn’t have been able to
roar. To that extent I want to share this incredible feeling with Luke, Grieg,
Jenny Kent, Iain, Angie, Emile, Sunny, Nicole, David, Rooney, Divian, Priyanka,
the Brierley family as well as the Weinstein Co team. Lion reaffirms the message that love is not dictated by the
color of your skin, not by race, gender, sexuality, social status, or origin.
It is a message I am proud to be spreading during these uncertain times. This will forever be one of the most memorable experiences
of my life. Dev x.”
Michael Shannon — “Nocturnal Animals”: “I am thrilled! Loved making this film. I would
work with Tom Ford anytime, anywhere. Jake Gyllenhaal and Aaron Taylor-Johnson
and Karl Glusman made it easy for me. Nice to get some good news in the midst
of all the carnage, so to speak.” 
Mahershala Ali — “Moonlight”: “I’d like to thank the Academy for this humbling
recognition. I’m so proud to have had the opportunity to contribute in some
small way to both Moonlight and Hidden Figures. I’d also like to
congratulate my friends, colleagues and cast mates who have been acknowledged
through the nominations of both of these films. The most one can ask for in
this work is to have a presence in projects that entertain and yet still hold a
space to educate, inform and uplift. And for that, I am truly grateful.”

Actress In A Supporting Role
Viola Davis — “Fences”: “Thank you to the Academy for recognizing this extraordinary, important film and my work in it. Thank you Denzel for being at the helm!”
Nicole Kidman — “Lion”: “I want to thank the Academy for all of the
acknowledgements you have given this heartfelt film. But, most importantly, I
want to thank the Brierley family for putting themselves in such a vulnerable
place and sharing their story with the world. And thanks to Garth Davis for
putting his heart and soul into all of us. Woo Hoo!”
Michelle Williams — “Manchester By The Sea”: “Thank you so much to the Academy for this
recognition. Making this film was incredibly rewarding and none of it would
have been possible without the guidance from our fearless leader, Kenneth
Lonergan. I am thrilled to share this nomination with Kenny, Casey, Lucas and
the rest of the cast, producers and crew. Congratulations to my fellow
nominees. It is truly an honor to be included among such amazing women in this
category.” 

READ: ‘Moana’ Rides Box Office Wave For 2nd Week Earning $119.9 Mil

Original Song:

“How Far I’ll Go” — “Moana” — Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lin-Manuel Miranda: “Thank you to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences—thank you so much for this honor. I spent a good chunk of my
childhood memorizing Billy Crystal’s musical Oscar monologues, so this is
insane.Seeing The Little Mermaid changed my life at
9-years-old, so to work with its directors Ron Clements and John Musker
on Moana has been a dream come true. I share this
humbling honor with them, my Moana songwriting
partners Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina, and the entire Disney family.
Congratulations to all this morning’s incredible nominees. And future
congratulations to the kids watching the telecast this year, singing along with
their favorite songs, performing epic private concerts for the mirror with a
comb or a toothbrush microphone. You’re next.”

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽😭😭😭😭🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊 https://t.co/1EMhk8gp0Q

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) January 24, 2017

Directing:

Kenneth Lonergan (“Manchester By The Sea,” also up for Best Original Screenplay): “I’m really overwhelmed. Thank you, Academy members.
Thank you and congratulations, wonderful, wonderful cast, producers and crew.
It’s such an honor to be counted alongside our fellow nominees and all the
really extraordinary movies that came out this year. We tried to make a movie
about people standing by each other no matter what; thank you to everyone who
let us try, and to everyone out there trying to tell the truth about what it is
to be a human being.”
Mel Gibson — “Hacksaw Ridge”: “What could be
more exciting than listening to the nominations being announced while holding
my newborn son! This is a truly wonderful honor. I’m especially happy for
Andrew Garfield, our producers Bill Mechanic and David Permut, our editor John
Gilbert and our incredible sound teams. The Academy’s recognition of our
film is a testament to every single person who worked on Hacksaw Ridge, and to
every soldier who made the sacrifices they made to fight for their country,
including Desmond Doss.”
Damien Chazelle — “La La Land”: “I am so humbled and grateful for the
nominations for LA LA LAND. It’s been a tremendous year for films and I’m
deeply honored to be in such amazing company with my fellow nominees, along
with my phenomenal producers – Fred, Jordan and Marc. I am thrilled that
the Academy is celebrating the work of Emma and Ryan, who brought these
characters to life with such humanity and depth, and also the work of my
college roommate Justin who created the beautiful music. As a filmmaker,
you are only as strong as the team around you and so to share this moment and
recognition with my brilliant team — Tom, Linus, Mary, Benj, Justin, David,
Sandy, Milly, Ai–Ling, Andy and Steve — the people that worked so hard
and tirelessly and collaborated so creatively, is more than I could ask for. And finally, I want to thank Lionsgate for their unwavering support.”

Animated Feature:
“Kubo and the Two Strings”
Travis Knight, Director & Producer of “Kubo and the Two Strings”: “I’m over the moon! An Academy Award
nomination is an extraordinary and cherished gift. Two nominations is
more than anyone could hope for. Every filmmaker dreams of a moment like
this. But the truth is, I already lived my dream by making this
film. Movies have always given me great joy. They enriched my life. They inspired me to dream. That’s the kind of film our team at LAIKA sought
to make with KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS. A film is a slice of a hundred
souls. In this case many more. An incredible, immense community of
artists gave ceaselessly and selflessly to breathe life into this story. I’m so thankful for their talents and efforts and so proud of what we’ve done
together. I’m profoundly grateful to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences, who somehow saw fit to include us among the finest storytellers
in film. It is a tremendous honor to stand alongside them.”
“Moana”
Ron Clements, John Musker, Osnat Shurer, “Moana” filmmakers: “Hello, and a grateful ‘Thank you, Academy!’ from Sweden, where we are currently promoting ‘Moana.’ We’re beyond honored and
excited — for the film, for all of our colleagues at Disney Animation,
and also for Lin-Manuel and his nomination for ‘How Far I’ll Go,’ which
perfectly captured ‘Moana’s’ spirit of adventure and exploration.”

WATCH: Golden Globes: Backstage With Winners Casey Affleck & Tracee Ellis Ross!

The Oscars air Sunday, Feb. 26 at 7 ET/4PT on ABC. Jimmy Kimmel is the host.

— Jolie Lash