Several of this season’s awards contenders descended upon New York City’s Cipriani 42nd St. on Tuesday night for the 2022 National Board of Review Awards, less than two weeks away from Hollywood’s biggest night.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza came into the ceremony with three NBR awards under its belt for best breakthrough performances for Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman, directing for Anderson and film of the year.
Licorice Pizza co-star Bradley Cooper presented Haim and Hoffman with their award and sang their praises, saying the young stars bring complete and utter joy to all of those around them.
“Both of them [are], independently and in tandem, each completely idiosyncratic individually but synchronistic at the same time together,” Cooper said. “How lucky we are that Paul Thomas Anderson recognized this, and he invited them to help illuminate this rapturous film with that joy. If they are any guidepost to what this next generation has in store for us, I think we’re in pretty good hands.”
In their acceptance speech, Haim and Hoffman took turns addressing the crowd in Midtown Manhattan, filled with Oscar hopefuls including Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Ciarán Hinds and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. Haim shared a story she once vowed to keep close to the vest, about the first day she and Hoffman filmed with Cooper and being so nervous Anderson had to calm them down.
“Paul said, ‘Don’t forget this. You were built for this,’ and that’s all we needed to hear,” Haim said. Hoffman closed out their acceptance speech with, “You never know who you’re gonna meet or who’s gonna change your life forever. We now know that Paul, Alana and I will forever be stuck-together pieces. Thank you again to the National Board of Review, we hope we can come back every year.”
Chris Rock took the stage to present the award for best director to Anderson, performing a mini stand-up set in which he joked about everything from Anderson never casting him in anything to Smith being “fucking great” to not being asked to host the 2022 Oscars.
“What does Paul Thomas Anderson do in a global pandemic? Well, what does he do? What most people wouldn’t do,” Rock said. “He shoots Licorice Pizza. Licorice Pizza was probably the best movie I saw this year. I only saw about four movies this year. So, it’s a good thing I’m not hosting the Oscars this year.”
Before bringing Anderson up to accept the best film award, Julianne Moore opened up about working with the director on Boogie Nights and Magnolia and how he’s not as intense to work with as people think, calling him exuberant, excitable and generous.
“He loves what you do, and he loves what he does and working with him just makes you feel totally alive,” Moore said. “And that’s really how I felt about watching Licorice Pizza. It just made me feel alive.”
Among the other winners of the night were Encanto for best animated feature, Summer of Soul for documentary, The Harder They Fall for ensemble, Rachel Zegler for actress, Smith for actor, Ellis for supporting actress and Hinds for supporting actor. A shared sentiment for many of the winners, presenters and attendees was the joy of being out on the town with their fellow colleagues and friends, some for the first time in over two years.
In his acceptance speech for best actor, Smith gave a special shoutout to Richard Williams, Venus and Serena Williams’ father, whom he portrays in King Richard, and his tight, red, short shorts.
“Richard Williams has ignited a fire within me,” Smith said. “I’ve never felt more clear as an actor. I’ve never felt more clear in my life as a human, and what I want to do and want to be able to touch people and wanting to be able to move people.”
He continued, “That fire is fragile, it’s like that creative energy, that joy of going into the world and wanting to do something positive,” as he celebrated being able “to be a part of something that’s making people smile, to be able to tell Venus and Serena and the Williams’ family story to the world in a way that supports people.”
Latin representation was top of mind for a few of the winners at the NBR awards this year, with Encanto taking best animated film and Zegler being recognized for her role in West Side Story.
Though Zegler wasn’t personally in attendance (she’s currently filming Disney’s live-action Snow White in London), her co-star Ilda Mason accepted the award on her behalf and read a speech Zegler wrote, in which she told young people that their heart is their superpower.
Ahead of the awards, Mason opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about what it meant to her to be a part of West Side Story.
“I feel so honored to be a Latina, to have moved to this country and to be able to tell this story, this incredibly important story that’s sadly so relevant still 60-plus years later,” she told THR.
The team behind Encanto echoed Mason’s sentiment and went on to explain that the reason their film has resonated with people as much as it has is because many can see themselves or their family members in the Madrigals.
“They can see themselves as the older sister that has to have everything on her back or the one that has to be perfect all the time, or the one that there’s so much expectation on, “said Stephanie Beatriz, who voices Encanto main character Mirabel Madrigal. “All of us, I think, can see our own family roles, maybe roles that we didn’t choose for ourselves, and I think we identify with it.”
Beatriz also feels that the film leaves behind an important legacy by teaching children about empathy, sympathy and compassion for others, especially in a time when it’s difficult to have a human connection, she explained. For the Encanto voice star and many of the winners, presenters and attendees, the NBR awards and the season, in general, has been all about celebrating films.
“Movies are miraculous, and they take you away. They make you think about life in a different way. They give you glimpses into other people’s worlds,” Beatriz said. “And in a world that can be very disconnected, movies are the thing that can connect us.”
Source: Hollywood
