The award was presented by last year’s “Best Actress” winner Frances McDormand and Best Supporting Actor” winner Sam Rockwell.
Colman portrayed Anne, Queen of Great Britain. She triumphed over fellow nominees Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Yalitza Aparicio (Roma), Lady Gaga (A Star is Born), and Oscar front-runner Glenn Close (The Wife). This marked Colman’s first career Academy Award nomination and win.
She did deliver a very memorable and witty Oscar acceptance speech that showcased her warm and genuine personality. Colman thanked Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, who directed the film, as well as co-stars Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone. She subsequently acknowledged that she was in a category with “extraordinary women” and praised Glenn Close as a major influence on her. “Glenn, you’ve been my idol for so long. This is not how I wanted it to be,” she said. “I think you are amazing and I love you very much.”
Colman thanked her mother and her father, as well as her husband, Ed Sinclair, and kids. “This is not going to happen again,” she acknowledged. “To any little girl who is practicing her speech on the telly, you never know.”
For her portrayal of Queen Anne, Colman previously won the BAFTA award for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” and the Golden Globe for “Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.”
