“I think it had a huge appeal,” said Michael Keaton, Birdman’s leading man. “You’re voted on by your peers, and I think actors like this movie for showing the courage actors have for going out and laying it all on the line. And they thought that as a group we all deserved a prize.” Naomi Watts acknowledged that it accurately depicted the life of an actor, noting the difficulty in shooting the movie’s extended scenes. “This was an extreme case because of these long, continuous shots. If you made a mistake, you’re possibly destroying another actor’s best work. It made it incredibly high pressure,” she said. “But if we all got it right as a team, it was like winning a race, which made it probably the most collaborative experience. Maybe actors understand better than anyone how we’re all connected to one another.”
Julianne Moore, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for “Still Alice”:
When it came to preparing for the challenging role, Moore acknowledged that she wasn’t alone. “I had a tremendous amount of help,” she said after admitting that she knew nothing about the disease and has been lucky enough not to have any family members affected by it. She began her research by contacting the Alzheimer’s Association and then went to Mt. Sinai to meet with specialist. She also attended a support group with other women battling the disease, and one 45 year-old woman in particular (also a redhead like Moore) was instrumental in crafting the role. “They were were so helpful and really helped me understand I felt like,” she said backstage. “In fact, a lot of the words in the script were taken from those women.” Moore is thankful for the feedback she’s received from the Alzheimer’s community, too: “They’ve told me that they felt seen and they felt understood, and that was really important because there’s a lot of shame associated with the disease.” And how does she feel about being an Oscar frontrunner? “It’s hard to think about it when people keep bringing it up!”
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Read more THR’s Full Sundance Coverage
J.K. Simmons, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role nominee for “Whiplash”:
“Some people are inspired by the movie and others are sort of terrified of it,” Simmons explained backstage. “That’s one of the things I love about Damien’s [Chazelleon] work on the page and on the screen. People don’t walk away from this movie with the same message.” He also offered his own opinion of his turn as an abusive band instructor: “I personally wouldn’t put up with my character.” When talk of the Oscars arose, Simmons replied: “I honestly don’t know what I’m supposed to do between now and then.” He appreciates that it brings more attention to the movie, however, and hopes that more people will want to see it as a result.
