Oscars night had a double feature of history-making wins Sunday, with Ariana DeBose and Troy Kotsur earning groundbreaking honors.
DeBose, who portrayed the spirited Anita in the movie musical “West Side Story,” was named best supporting actress during Sunday’s ceremony at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, making her the first openly queer woman of color and the first Afro-Latina to win an Academy Award.
Kotsur, who played the family patriarch in the heartfelt drama “CODA” about a child of Deaf adults, became the first Deaf male performer to receive an Oscar with his win for best supporting actor.
“Imagine this little girl in the backseat of a white Ford Focus. Look into her eyes,” DeBose said during her acceptance speech. “You see (an) openly queer woman of color, an Afro-Latina who found her strength in life through art.
“That’s what I believe we are here to celebrate. So to anybody who’s ever questioned your identity ever, ever, ever, or find yourself living in the grey spaces, I promise you this: There is indeed a place for us.”
Her win came 60 years after Rita Moreno won best supporting actress for her portrayal of Anita in the original film adaptation of “West Side Story.” DeBose referred to Moreno, who was in the audience, as a “divine inspiration.”
Kotsur is the second Deaf person to win an Oscar, following his “CODA” co-star Marlee Matlin, who was best supporting actress in 1987 for the drama “Children of a Lesser God.”
The 53-year-old Kotsur called his dad his “hero” as he accepted his award.
“He was in a car accident and he became paralyzed from the neck down, and he no longer was able to sign. Dad, I learned so much from you. I’ll always love you,” Kotsur signed.
“This is dedicated to the Deaf community, the CODA community, and the disabled community. This is our moment. To my mom, my dad and my brother, Mark; they’re not here today, but look at me now. I did it.”
Other winners Sunday included Disney’s smash hit musical “Encanto,” which won best animated feature. Filled with original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Encanto” centers on a magical household in Colombia where every member possesses a superhuman ability except the main protagonist, Mirabel.
The science-fiction epic “Dune,” meanwhile, dominated the craft categories with wins for best film editing, best original score, best sound, best production design, best cinematography and best visual effects.
Sunday’s ceremony got off to a rousing start, with superstar singer Beyoncé performing her single “Be Alive” from “King Richard,” a biopic about the eccentric father of tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams. Backed by a team of dancers and a full band, Beyoncé performed the single from a remote stage, dressed in lime-green attire.
Oscar hosts Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes then earned laughs from the packed auditorium with a barrage of biting one-liners that poked fun at nominated movies and controversies within the film industry.
“This year, the Academy hired three women to host because it’s cheaper than hiring one man,” Schumer deadpanned.
Sykes, meanwhile, referred to the Oscars as a place “where movie lovers unite and watch TV,” and said of Netflix’s brooding Western drama “The Power of the Dog” that she “watched that movie three times, and I’m halfway through it.”
“The Power of the Dog,” about a domineering cattle rancher, was Sunday’s most nominated film with 12, including for best picture and best director for Jane Campion.
The best director nod was the second for Campion, with her first coming for the 1993 drama “The Piano,” making the New Zealand native the first female filmmaker in Oscars history to receive multiple nominations in the category.
Other nominees for best picture Sunday included “CODA,” “King Richard,” “West Side Story,” “Dune” and “Belfast,” a semi-autobiographical drama by Kenneth Branagh set amid the social unrest of Northern Ireland in the late 1960s,
Sunday’s Oscars returned to the show’s longtime home at Dolby Theatre after last year’s Academy Awards transitioned to the more low-key Union Station in Los Angeles due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stars including DeBose, Matlin, Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield wore different shades of red on the Oscars’ first full-fledged red carpet in two years, where many dressed in bold gowns and glittery outfits.
The Oscars generated controversy after organizers announced the ceremony wouldn’t announce the winners of eight craft categories during the live broadcast. Those awards were instead unveiled online before the show, with prerecorded segments airing during the telecast.
Miranda, who was nominated for best original song for “Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto,” also had a chance to make history Sunday. A win would give him his first career Academy Award, and thus secure him EGOT status as the recipient of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.
Miranda announced Saturday that he wouldn’t attend Sunday’s show as a precaution after his wife tested positive for COVID-19.
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