The Surprising Hollywood A-Listers Who Really Aren't Fans of the Oscars
It is the biggest and glitziest night in film, but as Hollywood awaits with bated breath to see who picks up a Golden statuette, some famous faces may be tuning out. While an Academy Award is considered by most actors to be the high-point of anyone's career, there are a few big names in cinema who have openly questioned what all the fuss is about as we prepare to find out who won big at tonight's awards ceremony at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
Amanda Seyfried: Winning 'Isn't Necessary'
One detractor is The Housemaid star, Amanda Seyfried. Speaking before nominations were announced—after which there was a furore that she wasn't nominated for her turn in The Testament of Ang Lee—she said winning a gong simply wasn't 'necessary'.
'Do you remember who won in the past 10 years? It's not the win that's important. It's the nomination. It does thrust you forward. That's a fact,' she told the New York Times. 'Now, do I need one in a week or two or whenever? No, of course, I don't. Would it be great? Of course it would, for every reason... but it isn't necessary.'
The Mamma Mia star, who received a nomination in 2021 for her supporting role in Mank, went on to say that she feels she's proven herself in the industry and stayed 'consistent in my choices and consistent in my values and my needs. I've gotten this far without an Oscar. Why would I need one now?'
Dennis Quaid: 'Who Cares About That?'
Another successful actor who puts little importance on that gold statuette is Dennis Quaid. In a recent interview on the 'Out of Order' podcast, Quaid reflected on his many iconic movies.
'I'm not trying to get anywhere,' he explained. 'I'm not trying to, you know, get an Oscar because who cares about that? Says the guy who never won an Oscar. I'm not trying to be anything. I'm just doing the stuff that I love to do, and I really enjoy it.'
Denzel Washington: 'I Don't Care About That Stuff'
A-lister Denzel Washington may have two Academy Awards to his name—one for his supporting role in the 1989 movie Glory and another for his leading role in the 2001 film Training Day—but last August, he confessed that he doesn't base his success on awards.
'I don't care about that kind of stuff. I've been at this a long time, and there's a time when I won and shouldn't have won and then didn't win and should've won. Man gives the award. God gives the reward,' he said.
He added, 'I'm not that interested in Oscars. People ask me, 'Where do I keep it?' Well, next to the other one. I'm not bragging! Just telling you how I feel about it. On my last day, [Oscars] aren't going to do me a bit of good.'
Matt Damon: Awards Season Is His 'Least Favourite' Part
Matt Damon, who won a gong in 1998 for penning the screenplay for Good Will Hunting, is no longer interested in the culture behind the whole Oscars buzz, he has said. During an appearance on Netflix's Skip Intro podcast, he actually confessed that awards season is his least favourite part of the industry.
'What I don't like is this idea of campaigning. It seems completely backwards to me and odd. Maybe it's good for movies, just having it all out there and gets the culture thinking and talking about movies. I hope that's the case.'
Ethan Hawke: Slamming the 'Asinine' Competition
Nominated for Best Actor for the first time this year for his role in Blue Moon, Ethan Hawke has also previously hit out at the whole concept of big awards shows.
He revealed back in 2013, 'People want to turn everything in this country (America) into a competition. So it's clear who the winner is and who the loser is... It's why they like to announce the grosses of movies, because it's a way of saying, 'This one is Number One.' It's so asinine.'
He went on to point out 'how many forgettable, stupid movies have won Oscars' and, in his opinion, 'how many mediocre performers have Oscars above their fireplace,' adding that making 'chasing these fake carrots' the 'priority' of actors is 'really destructive.'
But he later released a statement clarifying his comments, saying, 'I think the Oscars do a very good job in representing much of the great work in a given year. Inevitably though, many great films and performances are not recognized and can be overlooked due to the mass marketing and PR machines that march through the awards season. I don't mean to take anything away from the genuine and deserved excitement that every nominee should feel.'
