The brightest stars in movie shined on the 2025 Oscars, with first-time and returning winners celebrating backstage and sharing the way it felt to listen to their identify and settle for an Academy Award.
Adrien Brody, winner of the award for finest efficiency by an actor in a number one position for “The Brutalist,” Mikey Madison, winner of the award for finest efficiency by an actress in a number one position for “Anora,” Zoe Saldana, winner of the award for finest efficiency by an actress in a supporting position for “Emilia Perez,” and Kieran Culkin, winner of the award for finest efficiency by an actor in a supporting position for “A Actual Ache,” pose within the press room on the Oscar, Mar. 2, 2025, in Los Angeles.
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Adrien Brody took dwelling his second Academy Award for finest actor in “The Brutalist” on Sunday night time. Mikey Madison earned her inaugural Oscar, successful finest actress for “Anora,” which additionally received finest image. Zoe Saldaña grew to become the primary American of Dominican origin to win finest supporting actress for “Emilia Pérez.” Kieran Culkin, in the meantime, took dwelling his first Oscars statuette for finest supporting actor for his position in “A Actual Ache.”
All 4 stars stopped by backstage on Sunday to speak with “Good Morning America” in regards to the accomplishment and what the successful second meant to every of them.
Kieran Culkin explains why 1st Oscar win means a lot to him
Kieran Culkin poses within the press room with the Oscar for Finest Actor in a Supporting Position for “A Actual Ache” through the 97th Annual Academy Awards, in Los Angeles, Mar. 2, 2025.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
Culkin, whose movie debut got here at age 7 in “Dwelling Alone” alongside his older brother Macaulay Culkin, instructed “GMA” that with out “taking it the incorrect approach,” the notion of successful an Oscar was by no means on his radar.
“As a result of it is one thing I’ve at all times been doing — it was by no means a pursuit of mine. It is simply part of what my life has at all times been. I’ve at all times been performing,” Kieran Culkin, 42, mentioned. “So this was by no means, like, on the horizon.”
“I act … identical to I bathe at night time [or] eat — it was by no means like a choice to go, ‘I’ll go after this factor,'” he continued. “It is simply at all times been part of my life — I feel that is why it simply means a lot extra to me.”
Zoe Saldaña celebrates 1st Oscars win, regardless of feeling sick
Zoe Saldana, winner of the Finest Actress in a Supporting Position poses within the press room through the 97th Annual Oscars, Mar. 2, 2025 in Los Angeles.
Mike Coppola/Getty Pictures
Saldaña made historical past on the Oscars when she received finest supporting actress for her position as Mexican lawyer Rita Castro, turning into the third Latina and the primary American of Dominican origin to win the class.
She instructed “GMA” having her husband by her aspect to share the second and provides her a lift was important.
“I am blissful he was there beside me. He has been prepping me all night time and all morning earlier than this — ‘You’ve got acquired this,’ and ‘You are great,’ and ‘Take your Theraflu,'” she mentioned, including, “I awoke a little bit sick.”
Saldaña defined “it was identical to my physique identical to giving up on me — it has been 10 months of this glorious journey.”
Adrien Brody displays on sweeter 2nd finest actor win
Adrien Brody, winner of the Finest Actor in a Main Position for The Brutalist poses within the press room through the 97th Annual Oscars, Mar. 2, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
Throughout Brody’s highly effective acceptance speech for finest actor — which even stopped the orchestra from enjoying him off the stage — he mentioned, “Appearing is a really fragile occupation. It appears to be like very glamorous, and at sure moments, it’s. However the one factor that I’ve gained having the privilege to come back again right here is to have some perspective.”
Greater than 20 years after his first finest actor Oscar win for the 2002 struggle drama “The Pianist,” Brody instructed “GMA” that the second time “is sweeter, as a result of it is, once more, the angle of a lifetime of work and of affection, understanding it is precarious.”
Adrien Brody talks channeling his grandfather in ‘The Brutalist’The 2-time Oscar winner opens as much as “GMA’s” Lara Spencer about his iconic Oscars “music second.”
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“I feel first go-around I used to be considerably of an entire unknown,” he mentioned of his historic first Academy Award that made him the youngest ever finest actor winner. “I acquired right here and folks seen me as an in a single day success in some ways — however I had already been working for 17 years.”
With that in thoughts, Brody mentioned 25-year-old Madison taking dwelling the Oscar for finest actress was an “superb second for her.”
1st time Oscar winner Mikey Madison thanks unbiased filmmaker Sean Baker
Mikey Madison accepts the Oscar for Finest Efficiency By An Actress In A Main Position for ‘Anora’ through the 97th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Mar. 2, 2025.
Allison Dinner/EPA-EFE/Shuttersterstock
Madison referred to as her finest actress win for her position in “Anora” a “dream come true” whereas accepting her award on Sunday night time, joking, “I am most likely going to get up tomorrow.”
The small however mighty unbiased movie with simply 40 folks on the crew took dwelling 5 Academy Awards this weekend, which Madison mentioned is all due to Sean Baker, who wrote, edited and directed “Anora.”
Mikey Madison embraces Sean Baker after he received the award for finest unique screenplay for “Anora” through the Oscars, Mar. 2, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
“I feel that Sean is such an unbelievable filmmaker and has been making stunning work for many years now,” Madison instructed “GMA” backstage. “So, for this movie to be the one that actually places him on the market on this actually particular place is so great, and I really feel so fortunate that I am a little bit piece of that.”
