By Kevin Winter/Getty Images.
Even if he lost out on best director to Alfonso Cuarón, Spike Lee had a great Oscars night. And not just because Sunday was the night that he finally won his first competitive award—best adapted screenplay, for BlacKkKlansman. (In 2015, the Academy honored Lee with a lifetime-achievement award.) More importantly, it just seemed like Lee was having a lot of fun.
His night started off amusingly, if quietly, thanks to an excellent editing choice on the Academy’s part. As presenters John Mulaney and Awkwafina joked about being starstruck while handing out the award for best animated short, they playfully named stars they were nervous to meet on the red carpet—including Lee. “I saw Spike Lee and I was like, what?” Awkwafina said. Immediately, the telecast cut to Lee—and his deadpan response was, shall we say, a very large mood.
Then came Lee’s win—a moment that will probably be forever remembered by an instantly viral image of the director jumping to embrace frequent collaborator Samuel L. Jackson. Again—very emotional stuff here, to say the least.
But the pièce de résistance might have to be when Lee literally leapt out of his seat during Barbra Streisand’s speech. As Babs was presenting BlacKkKlansman’s best-picture clip, she couldn’t help but note their shared Brooklyn upbringing—a shout-out that immediately earned an effusive reaction from Lee.
The Academy has not always done right by Lee. As BlacKkKlansman prepared to face off against Green Book, several critics remembered the time, not that long ago, when Driving Miss Daisy won out over Do the Right Thing—a choice that some argued would closely parallel the message that would be sent, should Green Book win over BlacKkKlansman, which it did. Either way, at least it’s clear Lee has had an excellent night.
More Oscar Coverage from Vanity Fair:
— Check here for our comprehensive coverage
— See the full list of Oscar winners
— See the best-dressed stars on the red carpet
— The quick, hostless opening riff
— Lady Gaga dazzles with a rare Tiffany diamond
This story was originally published by Vanity Fair
via USAHint.com
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