10 memorable quotes by actresses at the Oscars
The Oscars are almost here, and here is a look at some memorable speeches by actresses over the years.
Apart from being the award every actor feels very strongly about, the Oscars have become a surprising touchstone for issues that matter over the years.
Several women, including Halle Berry and Patricia Arquette, have used the stage to speak up and raise concerns about many issues such as equal pay, human rights, and more. From emotional to political, the speeches have invoked applause, laughter, and tears.
With the 92nd Oscars ceremony less than 24 hours away, here are some memorable speeches from actresses at the awards ceremony.
“... perhaps those of us in the industry who are still foolishly clinging to the idea that female films with women at the centre are niche experiences. They are not. Audiences want to see them and, in fact, they earn money. The world is round, people.” - Cate Blanchett, Best Actress for Blue Jasmine in 2014
“This moment is so much bigger than me. This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll. It’s for the women that stand beside me, Jada Pinkett, Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox. And it’s for every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened,” - Halle Barry, Best Actress for Monster’s Ball in 2002
“Don’t talk to us about it at the parties tonight. Invite us into your office in a couple days, or you can come to ours, whatever suits you best, and we’ll tell you all about them. I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen: ‘inclusion rider'.” - Frances McDormand, Best Actress for 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' in 2018
“To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights.It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all, and equal rights for women in the United States of America.” - Patricia Arquette, Best Supporting Actress for Boyhood in 2015
“Films and life are like clay, waiting for us to mould it. And when you trust your own insides and that becomes achievement, it’s a kind of a principle that seems to me that works with everyone. God bless that principle. God bless that potential that we all have for making anything possible if we think we deserve it. I deserve this, thank you.” - Shirley MacLaine, Best Actress for Terms of Endearment in 1984
“You know, there is one place that all the people with the greatest potential are gathered and that’s the graveyard. People ask me all the time, 'What kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola?' And I say 'Exhume those bodies. Exhume those stories - the stories of the people who dreamed big and never saw those dreams to fruition, people who fell in love and lost.'” - Viola Davis, Best Supporting Actress for Fences in 2017
"Put down that stick, I'm going to be here for a while . . . I love it up here! I love the world! I'm so happy, thank you . . . A girl's got to have her moment. Everybody tries to get me to shut up. It didn't work with my parents and it didn't work now." - Julia Roberts, Best Actress for Erin Brockovich in 2001
"You know, I swore that if I ever won an Oscar, that I would say thank you to all the waiters and waitresses who used to cover my shift for me so I could run downtown on the subway and audition. I wish I'd said something to the waiters." - Marcia Gay Harden, Best Supporting Actress for Pollock in 2001
(Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan)
