Emerald Fennell.Photo: Chris Pizzelo-Pool/Getty
Emerald Fennellis a winner at theAcademy Awards!
ThePromising Young Womanscribetook home the Oscarfor Best Original Screenplay, beating out Will Berson and Shaka King (Judas and the Black Messiah), Lee Isaac Chung (Minari), Darius Marder and Abraham Marder (Sound of Metal), and Aaron Sorkin (The Trial of the Chicago 7). She is the first woman to take home the trophy in the category in 13 years.
“They said write a speech and I didn’t because just I didn’t think this would ever happen. Am I going to be in trouble with Steven Soderbergh? I’m so sorry, I don’t want him to be so cross with me,” she joked. (Soderbergh is the producer of the ceremony this year.)
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Fennell went on to thank the “greatest” cast and crew, including starCarey Mulligan, for helping make the film possible. She also gave her son a special shoutout, joking that she was thankful that he was not born until after the movie was done filming.
“Steven I hope that was alright,” she concluded.
Merie Weismiller Wallace / Focus Features
This is Fennell’s first Oscar win of the night — she is also up for Best Director, and the film is up for Best Picture.
Promising Young Womanis theKilling Eveshowrunner’s first feature film, with her andNomadland’s Chloé Zhao making history as the first two women to both be nominated for Best Director in the same year.Promising Young Womantells the story of Cassie (Mulligan), who seeks revenge after her best friend is sexually assaulted and murdered.
“I had been thinking a lot about rage, particularly the ways that rage manifests itself in women,” Fennell said in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter.
The 35-year-old British filmmaker said the core of the film comes from the rage women feel, yet rarely show on the outside.
“Emerald always talked about the movie being a beautifully wrapped piece of candy,” Mulligan toldTHR, “except when you open it and put it in your mouth, you realize it’s full of poison.”
Fennell said the movie was intended to be watched and discussed communally, and expected audiences to contend with the difficult scenes on screen after watching it.
“I hope they talk about it with people afterward,” says Fennell. “But I’d just be delighted if they watched it at all.”
The 93rd Academy Awards are airing live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
source: people.com
