Oscar nominations 2014: Reactions

Reaction to the nomination:

I’m fantastic. I’m in shock. I was sleeping. I wasn’t expecting this at all.

What did you take away from your role as greed-driven Donnie Azoff in “The Wolf of Wall Street?”

Excess leads to a bad road, a bad ending. It taught me about balance .... I got to work with my hero, Martin Scorsese ... on a set where no holds were barred and no punches were held.

What other roles or films did you admire this year?

I really liked James Franco in “Spring Breakers.” And I liked Jeremy Renner, Amy Adams and Bradley Cooper in “American Hustle.” I liked Oscar Isaac in “Inside Llewyn Davis.”  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

The Oscar nomination continues your success?

This is a big one. It’s just unbelievable. I’m humbled and honored to have nominations on my first movie. I was handling it just fine, but the Oscar has me a bit crazy. My phone died but I got to talk to my sister and my mom.

What are your plans?

I’m planning on moving [from Minnesota] to L.A. to act full time.

You’re Somali. You and your family fled your country as a child to escape war. How did that history help you portray Muse, the Somali pirate?

The film is the story, and I had to be the character of Muse. I left Somalia 15 years ago but I understood Muse’s desperations and motivations. It’s a lot of work. ... Director Paul Greengrass really helped, and seeing Tom Hanks become his character was an inspiration.

What other films or performances did you like this year?

“American Hustle” was great and so was “12 Years A Slave” and “The Wolf of Wall Street.” ... There were a lot of very, very nice films this year.

If acting didn’t work out, what was your backup?

I wanted to be a director. But I’m putting that on hold right now...  (Robert Caplin / For The Times)

What were you doing when you heard the announcements, especially best adapted screenplay for “Philomena”?

I’m in L.A. right now in a hotel. The phone rang like an electric shock and woke me from my slumber. I was sort of sleeping, half sleeping in a slumber, but I knew what it meant.

Are you excited?

(Laughing) It’s sort of frightening really. I’m at the big boys table. It’s fun. [“Philomena”] is something I pursued for a long time, a project that I wanted to do. I wrote something that was from the heart and sincere. No one gave me a note, it was all collaboration. The film we made is exactly what I wanted. It was the perfect storm. All those things that are supposed to happen to make something great.

What was your backup career if you didn’t act?

Maybe writing. I’ve always written everything I’ve done. I, maybe, would have written stuff for other people. I’m not super efficient, not well organized (laughs), I just have a good imagination and good observation. I’m fortunate to be in an industry where my imagination can fly like a child. I don’t know what the hell I would have done. God knows. I’m lucky I wound up in this.   (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

Where are you?

I just got back last night from the Golden Globes. I’m a little jet-lagged and dazed and not sure if I’m still in a bit of a dream. I’m very happy to have a great excuse to return [to Hollywood]. It’s 4:30 here, and friends and family texted me initially all at once.

And what was your reaction?

You feel a lot of things all the same time. I’m overwhelmed with emotion and incredibly proud and not quite sure how to compute it. It’s such a big thing, and it’s such a rare thing in terms of being nominated in my profession.

It was a great year for film — even Oprah, Tom Hanks and Robert Redford were shut out.

Don’t make me sad. That’s what I mean. There are only a few places to be one of those nominations, and when you think that those greats weren’t included, it’s difficult to wrap your head around, really. I’m also so sad for Emma Thompson, for example. I was really disheartened to see that she wasn’t up there.

What other performances did you enjoy this year?

Chiwetel Ejiofor, who I’ve known for a long time and is being rightfully honored. He’s had a very special year. I’m very excited for Judi Dench. It was a wonderful year for the Brits.  (Facundo Arrizabalaga / EPA)

It’s rare to get this many major noms for one film, but you’ve now done it two years in a row. Does it validate a decision to rush this movie out this year?

The making of this film on the heels of [Silver Linings Playbook] was meant to happen. People ask me if I would do it again and I say ‘I would do it again if it presents itself.’ This movie just unfolded itself through every actor, through all of us being together. It was a fountain that just came down on all of us.

Could you push it that way again?

It has to have a momentum all its own; it has to present itself. So many things came together with the cast and Megan, and everything happened in a very combustible, propulsive way. Can it happen again? I don’t think you can fabricate it. It’s either meant to happen or it’s not meant to happen.

You’ve made these three movies about redemption. Would you stay with that theme in your next phase?

The movie will tell me what it wants. That’s the battle I have with the muses. Maybe I’ve said what I have to say about reinvention. But then, next year or two years we could be talking about it again.

On whether noms -- it has pic, director, screenplay and all four actors -- feel old hat after a similarly large cache last year:

You always have to be ready not to get it. You go to bed and you tell your cast and you tell your crew and you tell you craft services people you may not get it. And then you feel a great rush of exuberance when you see your name pop up on the screen. There’s always that feeling of excitement, a great rush of exuberance.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Kirk DeMicco, left, is part of a directing duo (with Chris Sanders) of “The Croods.”

Today’s Oscar nomination is without a doubt the icing on the cake of an eight-year labor of love. We set out to make a film that everyone in the family -- especially fathers -- can relate to: a story about the power of change. You’d think as an Oscar hopeful I’d be up at 5:30 a.m. glued to my television, but instead I was in the nursery of my 10-month-old twins experiencing the real power of change -- that of diapers. This film has taken the work of over 300 talented artists at DreamWorks Animation to produce, and on behalf of our entire crew, I send a huge thank you to the academy and raise a bottle baby in toast to our fellow nominees!

Also, from “Croods” producer Kristine Belson:

“Wow ... WOW! I’m so thrilled and so grateful to the academy. But mostly, I’m so very proud on behalf of our incredible team of artists who crafted this film, our amazing voice cast, and most of all of our writer/directors Chris and Kirk. They made a movie that was both hilarious and moving, and I feel damn lucky to be part of this remarkable team.”  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

What a week. First a Globe win. Now this.

I have no words. It’s one of those things that I would reflect on years from now. It’s been really fun and awesome. It’s really great. I talk about my kid a lot, which is a normal mom thing to do. But it’s awesome to have her. It puts it all in perspective.

What does she think of all this stuff?

She doesn’t really understand. She said, “What’s that?” I said, “It’s a Golden Globe. I won it last night.” She’s like, “Ooh, it looks like a trophy.” I said, “It is a trophy. It’s really heavy.” She said, “I won this trophy at the circus!” That puts it in perspective. She made make-believe that she won a trophy for being a circus performer. I said, “You know I sort of won it at the circus too.”

You’ve been down the Oscars nomination road before. Is this still the fresh surprise it once was? How much does it feel old hat to you by this point?

Each one holds a different meaning. I have to say, this one, I cannot believe that I am nominated in the company I’m nominated with. ... Judi Dench, Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett have always been the people I said I want to be like when I grow up. Sandra is someone I’ve gotten to know through the years and she couldn’t be a more graceful and lovely human being. Also a tremendous actress. It’s so cool to be in the company of these other women.   (Jennifer S. Altman / For the Times)

How are you?

Good. Very good, in fact. My son and I watched the nominations together at my house in Sherman Oaks. When he heard he was so dear, he got up and came over and held me — and we were both almost crying and it was lovely. He’s doing all of the events with me. He’s a filmmaker himself so there are a lot of directors that he admires and respects tremendously and likes to see at events.

Have you ever been to the Oscars before?

I’ve just watched it on the television.

What do you think it will be like?

I have no idea, other than the fact that the red carpets are pretty much all the same. I’ll probably be talking to a lot of the same people. Now what’s nice is I’ve met some of them two or three times or more. The TV people you sort of know now.

What does it feel like to be getting this much recognition at this stage in your career?

I’ve worked my whole life -- years on stage -- and a lot of wonderful things have happened, but it’s fun to have it in film. I’ve been doing it since the early ‘90s, and it’s really kind of fun to do.

What performances have you enjoyed this year?

I haven’t been able to see all that much. I did see Matthew McConaughey’s “Mud,” and I don’t think he’s up for that, but I think he’s doing such great work now. I did see “August: Osage County” and my God, there’s some wonderful people in that. I’m friends with Margo Martindale. We were neighbors in New York for 30 years.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Where were you when you heard the news?

Yerxa: I had just gotten up early and hoped that our cable was still working. I watched it in the living room. My wife got up too and made coffee. I’m in Santa Monica.

Berger: I was not far from my bed and I was with my wife. My youngest son woke up to join us and we had our two dogs involved in the “viewing party.” I’m in Hollywood Hills.

What’s your reaction to being nominated (for best picture)?

Berger: It was fantastic for all the people and everyone involved with the film. It was gratifying that Alexander Payne got nominated .... This movie is a testament among other skills for him as a director. This provides some energy for the film — as in we haven’t gone wide yet. Hopefully, this is what Paramount needs to push it into theaters.

How are you going to celebrate the nominations?

Yerxa: I had an extra banana and raisins on my oatmeal this morning (laughs). [The Oscars are] a great day of celebration. Albert and I are thought of as independent filmmakers and “Nebraska” has an independent spirit. We’re looking at a whole different array of ways that films are celebrated. We feel very appreciative and thankful that a film, a character study of a father and son, has a place for that in both worlds.  (Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times)

On her nomination:

This was certainly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and the recognition from it is an absolutely thrilling bonus. I simply could not be more excited right now.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)