Billie Eilish and Finneas entered the Oscar record books on Sunday (March 10) by winning best original song for their Barbie ballad “What Was I Made For?,” two years after winning with their title song from the James Bond film No Time to Die.
They became the youngest two-time Oscar winners in history – in any category. Eilish, 22, and Finneas, 26, took that distinction from actress Luise Rainer, who won her second Oscar (for The Good Earth) at age 28. Next on the leaderboard are Jodie Foster, who won her second Oscar (for Silences of the Lambs) at 29, and Hilary Swank, who won her second Oscar (for Million Dollar Baby) at 30.
This was also the fastest repeat win in the best original song category by any songwriter since Tim Rice won three times in the space of five years in the 1990s (with different collaborators each time).
Eilish and Finneas are the first songwriting team to win best original song twice in the space of three years since Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman won with “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid in 1990 and the title song from Beauty and the Beast in 1992. Here’s an updated list of all songwriters who have won in this category twice in the space of three years in Oscar history.
Also, “What Was I Made For?,” which won the Grammy for song of the year on Feb. 4, is the first song in a generation to win both the Oscar for best original song and the Grammy for song of the year. The last song to win both awards was “My Heart Will Go On,” the love theme from Titanic. Here’s an updated list of all songs to win both the Grammy for song of the year and the Oscar for best original song.
“What Was I Made For?” is the second winner for best original song from a film that was solely directed by a woman. Greta Gerwig directed Barbie. Ava DuVernay directed Selma, which spawned the 2014 winner, “Glory,” which was written and performed by John Legend and Common. Two films that were co-directed by women spawned best original song winners. The Prince of Egypt, co-directed by Brenda Chapman, gave us “When You Believe.” Frozen, co-directed by Jennifer Lee, spawned “Let It Go.”
Ludwig Göransson won best original score for Oppenheimer, five years after he won for Black Panther. Göransson is one of just five composers or composing teams to win twice in this category since 2000. He follows Howard Shore (the second and third installments in The Lord of the Rings franchise), Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain and Babel), Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network and Soul) and Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Sound of Water).
Oppenheimer won a night-leading seven Oscars, including best picture, followed by Poor Things with four and The Zone of Interest with two. No other film won more than one Oscar.
Killers of the Flower Moon was shut out, despite 10 nominations. It’s director Martin Scorcese’s third film to go 0-10 on Oscar night, following Gangs of New York (2002) and The Irishman (2019).
Oppenheimer has grossed $329.3 million at the domestic boxoffice, which is the fourth-highest total for any Oscar-winning best picture in history. It trails only Titanic ($674.3 million), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (379.4 million) and Forrest Gump ($330.5 million).
Oppenheimer is the fifth film since 2000 to win for both best picture and best original score. It follows The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Slumdog Millionaire, The Artist and The Shape of Water.
Christopher Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas were among the producers who won best picture Oscars for Oppenheimer (in tandem with Charles Roven). They are the first married couple to win for best picture since Richard D. Zanuck and Lil Fini Zanuck won for producing Driving Miss Daisy, the 1989 winner. Another married couple won on the night. Justine Triet and her husband, Arthur Harari, won best original screenplay for Anatomy of a Fall.
Emma Stone won best actress for the second time for Poor Things in an upset over Lily Gladstone, who was seen as having a slight edge for Killers of the Flower Moon. Stone won seven years ago for La La Land. Stone was the only one of this year’s acting winners who had won previously.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph won best supporting actress for The Holdovers. She’s the 10th Black actress to win in that category, compared to just one in the lead actress category – Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball.
Wes Anderson finally won his first Oscar for best live-action short film for The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, on which he collaborated with Steven Rales. Anderson had received seven previous nominations in a wide range of categories for his work on The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel (three nominations) and Isle of Dogs. Unfortunately, Anderson was a no-show on the night he won his first Oscar.
WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko won best animated short. The film’s title was inspired by “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” a 1971 song by John & Yoko/The Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir. John Lennon won an Oscar 53 years ago, along with the other former Beatles, for Let It Be. That film project won for best original song score, a category that still exists but has long been on hiatus, owing to an insufficient number of entries.
The Boy and the Heron won best animated feature film, in what was seen as a close contest with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Hayao Miyazaki, who won for The Boy and the Heron, won in the same category 21 years ago for Spirited Away. The Japanese-bornMiyazaki is the first person who was born outside the U.S. to win twice in this category. Here’s an updated list of all winners of best animated feature.
Kris Bowers and Ben Proudfoot took the documentary (short subject) award for The Last Repair Shop, about a shop in Los Angeles that repairs musical instruments for schools. Bowers, who is also a noted film composer, and Proudfoot were nominated in this same category three years ago for A Concerto Is a Conversation.
Godzilla Minus One won best visual effects. It was the first win – or even nomination – for a Godzilla movie.
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