The creative team behind this year’s Oscars gave an insight into what audiences can expect from Sunday’s ceremony.
Let’s hope to see you again!
As previously announced, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, and Rose Byrne will be together for the “Bridesmaids” reunion. But superhero fans can also look forward to a Marvel reunion. “There will be superstars and superheroes who will be a terrestrial presence on stage,” executive producer Katie Mullan promised.
Executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor was also present at Wednesday’s press conference and joined Mulan in saying that the theme of this year’s Oscars is humanity. “Everything you see in the show is inspired by the human touch and creativity,” said Mr. Kapoor.
Additionally, Mr. Kapoor said the Dolby Theater stage has been completely redesigned for this year’s ceremony. “It’s very immersive. We want all the nominees to be celebrated in a big way. We have beautiful photos and clips and nominee packages that we’ve put a lot of time, thought and attention into.”
Mandy Moore, no stranger to Oscar musical choreography, returns this year.
Of the five nominated original songs, two will be performed: “Golden” by KPop Demon Hunters and “I Lied to You” by “Sinners.”
In compiling the numbers, Moore and team wanted to go beyond simply recreating the songs from the films, and instead wanted to celebrate the numbers as a whole, considering how each film resonated with audiences around the world.
Moore revealed what it was like rehearsing for “Golden.” “I’ve been holding onto this visual and talked to Raj about the beautiful golden flag,” Moore joked, “Let’s all go along. It’s so beautiful. I was working on it today and was like, ‘Oh, I haven’t really done much with flags,’ but after seeing the renders, I thought maybe there would be a beautiful air quality on stage. They walk down onto the diamond and everything should go up at this point where all the flags disappear.” She added, “My job is to create this visual that happens in conjunction with what everyone else is doing, so we’ll see how it all fits together in front of the camera on Friday.”
Offering further insight into the performance of “Golden,” Mr. Kapoor said, “We have created a wonderful story that celebrates Korean culture with authentic Korean drummers and singers.” He went on to say, “We’re telling these global stories, celebrating international films that have had a global impact, and doing things in a completely different way.”
Speaking about ‘Sinners’ and how it earned a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations, Mulan said: “It’s going to be a really special moment to honor how important this film has been this year, how much it’s loved by audiences, and how it’s resonated so globally. So we feel really lucky to be able to celebrate it with such a great performance by the filmmakers and the storytelling around it.”
Kapur added that costume designer Ruth E. Carter and choreographer Arkomon Jones are working with the team. “It’s a really nice package,” he continued, “We’ve got the lovely Misty Copeland, we’ve got a really talented group of dancers, and it’s going to be a real celebration, not only of the song, but of the movie.”
Mr. Kapoor pointed out how the nominations in each category reflected the show’s international audience. “We are very fortunate that that is the case,” Mr. Kapur said. “It’s also very evident in our presenters. I think we have some really great presenters who represent our international feel and our global activities very well.” He added, “It feels like they’re all working toward the same goal, celebrating global cinema. This is not just a show about North American cinema. The Oscars are about global and international cinema and the best artists who work on it.”
Production designer Misty Buckley said the sets she designed for the show are accessible. “It’s always been at the heart of our design philosophy that we need to make sure that people have access to this set. So this year we have a front stage and it’s right down there for wheelchair access, and there’s also a lot of automation in the set so it moves really seamlessly and feels very fluid.”
Conan O’Brien, who has returned to hosting duties, was asked how he plans to deal with ever-changing political news and comments about President Trump, who he is likely to share on his social media platform, Truth Social. O’Brien responded, “I’ve never thought of this as my show. I’m the host. It’s a very specific mission and I was brought in to do the host’s job. I think it’s to put people at ease and make people laugh.” He continued, “I think what’s going on in the world is reflected throughout the show. My job is to always try to walk that very, very fine line between entertaining people and at the same time acknowledging some of the reality.”
O’Brien added that he and his writers have been working on the material for a long time, and it’s still evolving. “Jokes that we thought up two months ago don’t make sense now. Things that happened this week may be reflected in the show.” He added, “I’m going to use my best judgment and I’ve got great sounding boards here in Raj and Katie. I think between the two of us we’ll find the right tone and the right place.”
The 98th Oscar Awards will be broadcast on ABC on Sunday.
