The Moments From Oscars Past That Still Bring Us Joy

Some people’s go-to good-mood YouTube videos are compilations of sports highlights or baby animals playing together. For me, it’s Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s 1998 Oscars acceptance speech for the Good Will Hunting (1997) screenplay. The eagerness! The enthusiasm! The youth! The cheekiness! It gets me crying happy tears in under two minutes, every time. After hugging their mothers (who they brought as dates—it’s cheesy, but it works on me, what can I say?) and Robin Williams, they bound onto the stage, and Affleck almost immediately breaks the fourth wall, saying, “There’s no way we’re doing this in less than 20 seconds.” He delivers the bulk of the speech, with Damon grinning and occasionally fist pumping next to him—until late in the speech when Damon begins yelling the names of people they need to thank (“your brother,” “my dad right over there!”).

At the time, Affleck was 25 and Damon was 27, and of course, this sort of wunderkind privilege was something that for too long was only afforded to people like them—but dammit if this speech doesn’t raise my spirits nonetheless. (We cannot, however, ignore that Harvey Weinstein is the first person Affleck thanks in the speech. Woof.) —Nora Biette-Timmons

When Parasite won Best Picture at the Oscars in 2020, a strange moment ensued: An entire auditorium of exorbitantly rich, out-of-touch people—in other words, the very objects of Parasite’s ruthless critique—rose from their seats to cheer, joyously hooting and hollering. The spectacle reminded me of multi-millionaires Chrissy Teigen and former President Obama’s very public praise of the movie, which, again, makes all too clear its disdain for the ultra-wealthy.

Parasite, which follows a poor family that deviously embeds itself in a rich family’s household, frames the wealthy as equal parts stupid and cruel, utterly removed from reality and living in an entirely separate world from the working class. I found myself audibly chortling at the sight of wealthy celebs celebrating it, seemingly just as aware as Parasite posits them to be, oblivious to everything the movie says about them. Parasite was doubly validated in this way—not only had it won an Oscar, but it essentially proved a key part of its thesis, too. I loved it. —Kylie Cheung

If there’s anything at an awards show that makes me feel alive—other than James Cameron or Quentin Tarantino losing, of course—it’s witnessing exchanges between attendees that feel so intensely intimate I wonder whether I should be privy to them at all. Now, I’m not just talking about side-eyes and ill-timed shifts in seats. I’m referring to the beautiful and all-too-brief moment in time in which Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper led us (me, mostly) to believe they might be fucking, culminating in an on-stage duet that I continue to ponder weekly.

In 2019, the Gaga-Cooper-helmed A Star Is Born was nominated for eight Academy Awards. The film itself had generated its fair share of buzz given its rich cinematic legacy; the fact that a preeminent pop star got top billing certainly didn’t hurt either. But what audiences really couldn’t get enough of was the film’s lengthy press tour, which saw Gaga and Cooper repeatedly praising one another and cozying up in a way that suggested they were a little more than co-stars.

By the time they made it on the Oscars stage for a performance of the film’s infamous duet, “Shallow,” the onscreen lovers shared a piano bench, rested their cheeks against one another, and tenderly crooned into the other’s eyes. They’d later insist that it was all a masterfully orchestrated show of sorts, but if you asked me, it was confirmation that a heady love affair had taken place—or, still was. When it comes to Hollywood, you can’t get more joyful than a torrid romance between co-stars. —Audra Heinrichs

If I ever win an Oscar—or any award, really—I want to win it exactly like Olivia Colman won Best Actress for The Favourite in 2019: I want to look genuinely shocked and grateful when my name gets called; I want to be wearing a gorgeous green gown with elegant mesh sleeves; I want alternating cheek kisses from my hot husband and hot co-star Emma Stone; I want Emma Stone to nearly pass out from excitement as I make my way to the stage; and I want Emma Stone standing and crying for my entire speech. I cannot imagine a more joyful scenario in which to be told I am the Best Actress of the year.

And then there’s Colman’s speech, which starts off endearingly strong with, “Oh, it’s genuinely quite stressful. This is hilarious!” The next minute or so sways masterfully between grateful tear-jerking thanks and self-deprecating punchlines that get the whole room laughing. She apologizes to her “idol” Glen Close for winning over her: “This is not how I wanted it to be and I think you’re amazing.” She chokes up trying to thank her mom and dad, and then wordlessly sends a kiss to the heavens. She hopes her kids are watching at home! But praises them, should they have gotten out of watching the hours-long ceremony.

Colman cuts her origin story short and blows a raspberry when the teleprompter tells her to wrap up. She beautifully shouts out her husband then laughs, “He’s going to cry! But I’m not!” She gets overwhelmed by all the people she needs to thank and ends it by exclaiming, “Oh, Lady Gaga!” who’s sitting in the front row, and blows her a kiss. It’s a gorgeous Shakespearean concoction of overwhelming emotion and comedic relief—no doubt aided by her charming British accent. It brings me more peace, joy, and happiness than my daily 300mg of Wellbutrin. —Lauren Tousignant

Before Ariana DeBose proclaimed that Angela Bassett “did the thing” at this year’s BAFTA Awards, Halle Berry also did a similar, well, thing! The video of her winning an Oscar for Best Actress in 2002 for her performance in Monster’s Ball brings tears to my eyes. Berry looks absolutely shook when her name is called, and in the height of the emotional disbelief, the announcer can barely get her own words out either, stumbling over the word “Emmy” multiple times. Clutching the golden statue, Berry is speechless as she cries on stage, garnering even more applause from the crowd. “This moment is so much bigger than me,” she says, before dedicating the moment to a number of women of color actors (including Angela Bassett herself!). “And it’s for every nameless face and woman of color that now has a chance because this door has been opened.”

Despite the joy that the moment brought, the door might need a bit of a shoulder-slam to let others through. Berry recently said that she finds it “heartbreaking” that she’s still the only Black woman to win the coveted award. Women of color have done ~the thing in question~ forwards, backwards, upside down, and inside out, and they deserve every damn award for it. —Rodlyn-mae Banting

Haters will say I’m basic, but my favorite Oscars moment is Julia Roberts showing up to the 2001 ceremony in a vintage Valentino gown. To this day, people write about her being one of the first celebrities to wear an archival look on the red carpet, even though Renée Zellweger also chose vintage that year (a beautiful, lemon yellow strapless dress by Jean Desses). But it’s Roberts who sticks in my mind, which I think is partly due to the fact that she won Best Actress for Erin Brockovich, meaning the dress got extra airtime. At the same time, the black and white column gown with a sheer train is really just that memorable. I love that stars are still clamoring to wear vintage and, for the record, my current archival queen is Zendaya. —Susan Rinkunas

The year? 2013. A Best Actress nominee is asked by Ryan Seacrest how to describe her outfit. She answers succinctly, “It is sparkly and fluffy.” It was, and the “it” in question was a small purse in the shape of a dog wearing a tiara and a tutu. The actress was 9-year-old Quvenzhane’ Wallis, the youngest person to ever be nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Each red carpet interview with Wallis that awards season, almost all of which were accompanied by one of her many puppy purses, was a delightful reminder that these sorts of events should be celebratory and fun! The dog was named Sammy, after her real dog back at home. We love an homage! I thought about Wallis and Sammy when And Just Like That featured Carrie Bradshaw’s pigeon clutch. There’s something so gloriously whimsical about tucking a little animal under your arm and bringing it along with you for the evening. The Oscars can always use that sort of flourish if you ask me! —Kady Ruth Ashcraft