Nicole Kidman's powerhouse performance as Virginia Woolf in The Hours has earned her her first best actress Academy Award.In what's been acknowledged as an exceptional year for female leading roles, Nicole won out against an extraordinarily strong list of nominees which included Julianne Moore (Far From Heaven), Salma Hayek (Frida), Diane Lane (Unfaithful) and Renee Zellweger (Chicago).
The 35-year-old couldn't contain her joy at being named the winner, and a few tears were shed. "Russell Crowe said don't cry if you get up there, and now I'm crying," she admitted. "I'm standing here in front of my mother and my daughter, and my whole life I wanted to make my mother proud, and now I want to make my daughter proud."
Newcomer Adrien Brody meanwhile took his place in movie history after beating competition from four Hollywood legends to win the Oscar for best actor.
His challengers were Michael Caine (The Quiet American), Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt), Nicolas Cage (Adaptation) and Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs Of New York). After snatching a kiss from a surprised Halle Berry when she presented him with the honour, he also verged on tears as he remarked: “There are times in life when everything seems to start to make sense. But this isn’t one of them.”
The Pianist’s Roman Polanski was also an unexpected winner, scoring the award for best director. Many thought Martin Scorsese would take home a long-overdue Oscar for Gangs Of New York, but his controversial colleague emerged victorious on the night.
The Oscar for best supporting actress went to Catherine Zeta-Jones for Chicago. The musical was the night’s biggest winner, also garnering the prestigious best film award, along with gongs for art direction, costume design, sound and editing.
The Hours was the surprise underperformer, however, winning only one gong despite nine nominations.
Chris Cooper meanwhile came in ahead of some of Hollywood’s most respected actors to scoop the gong for best supporting actor. His performance in Adaptation surpassed the challenge of Ed Harris in The Hours, Christopher Walken in Catch Me If You Can, Paul Newman in The Road To Perdition, and John C Reilly in Chicago.
Veteran actor Peter O’Toole was honoured with a lifetime achievement award. It was the Lawrence Of Arabia star’s first Oscar, despite having been nominated seven times before. “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride,” he joked. “Now I’ve bagged this baby… as it were.”
Hip-hop bad boy Eminem won the best song prize for the 8 Mile theme Lose Yourself. The peroxide-haired rapper wasn’t there to collect the statuette himself, however, having pulled out after organizers asked him to perform the track with changed lyrics.
Talk To Her director Pedro Almodovar took the best screenplay gong, while Frida won in the music and make-up categories.
The event’s inimitable host Steve Martin effortlessly kept things moving, not sparing a certain Australian’s blushes when he quipped: “Nicole Kidman has worn a fake nose in every movie she's ever made - except The Hours!”
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
