Wes Anderson Oscar 2024: Oscars 2024: Wes Anderson Credits Meeting With Owen
The writer-director won his first Oscar in the Best Live Action Short Film category at the 96th Academy Awards. Anderson revealed why he was missing from the ceremony in Los Angeles.
Oscars 2024: Wes Anderson Credits Meeting With Owen Wilson In University For First Win, Thanks Roald Dahl (Image credit: Twitter/X – Netflix)
Wes Anderson picked up his first Oscar on March 11 after seven previous nominations. He won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film Category for The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. Unfortunately, the filmmaker was not present at the awards show to pick up his trophy. He later explained why he couldn’t be in there in person to receive the honour. Read what Anderson had to say below!
Wes Anderson reacts to his first Oscar win
The filmmaker picked up an Oscar for his first project with Netflix. After the ceremony was over, Anderson shared a statement through the streaming service. He said, “”If I could have been there, I (along with Steven Rales) would have said “Thank you” to: the family of Roald Dahl, the team at Netflix, Benedict and Ralph and Ben Kingsley and Dev and Richard and Bob and Adam and Jeremy and John and Jim and Rich and Jim and Polly and more.”
He also added, “And also I would have said: if I had not met Owen Wilson in a corridor at the University of Texas between classes when I was 18 years old, I would certainly not be receiving this award tonight — but unfortunately Steven and I are in Germany and we start shooting our new movie early tomorrow morning, so I did not actually receive the award or get a chance to say any of that.”
Anderson also shared that he was in Europe about to film on his 12th feature film, The Phoenician Scheme, with actors Michael Cera, Benicio del Toro, Bryan Cranston and Jeff Goldblum in the cast. He made his directing debut with Bottle Rocket in 1996 which was co-written with Owen Wilson. Owen and his brother Luke Wilson also starred in the film.
Last year, Anderson also released the comedy drama Asteroid City which featured Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright and Tilda Swinton in the ensemble cast. Anderson was previously nominated in various categories at the Academy Awards for his films The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Isle of Dogs.
About the short film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Adapted by Anderson from Roald Dah’s 1977 short story of the same name. British actor Benedict Cumberbatch played the character Henry Sugar, with Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Richard Ayoade, making up the rest of the cast. Released in September 2023, the short film is about the wealthy Sugar who learns an extraordinary skill from a clairvoyant guru and uses his newfound power to cheat at gambling. The Oscar-winning short is the first of a four-part series taken from Dahl’s short stories; The Swan, The Rat Catcher and Poison are also from the same universe.
The Times Now review of The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar stated, “The Henry Sugar Chronicles is a delightful departure for Wes Anderson, presenting a spiritual growth parable within the confines of his signature jewel-box style. The film’s form beautifully underscores its content, creating an enchanting and visually captivating experience for audiences.”
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