Two of the Oscars Biggest Winners are Arizona Natives
The biggest night in Hollywood has officially wrapped, and the winners are picking out the perfect place in their home for their brand-new golden statue.
Among the dozens of winners from last night, two stood on the stage proudly representing the Grand Canyon State.
Cord Jefferson (American Fiction)
The first Arizona native to take home an award last night was Tucson-born Cord Jefferson. Jefferson was the screenwriter for American Fiction (5 Nominations, 1 Win), and picked up his first Oscar win on Sunday night for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Adapting Percival Everett's novel Erasure into an Oscar-winning satire on the literary industry and racial biases within it allowed Jefferson to showcase his talents and ideas on the biggest level. This was a well-deserved award, as American Fiction leans into clever wordplay, deep character moments, and witty dialogue, and it would all be nothing without Cord Jefferson.
Emma Stone (Poor Things)
Taking home one of the biggest awards of the night was Scottsdale-born actress Emma Stone. Stone portrayed Bella Baxter in Yorgos Lanthimos's Poor Things (11 Nominations, 4 Wins), giving a tour de force performance as a grown woman with the brain of a child.
Stone took home the coveted (and highly competitive) Best Actress award last night, beating out Killers of the Flower Moon lead Lily Gladstone in a shocking turn of events. Even Stone was surprised, looking almost upset that she had won this honor over Gladstone (who would have become the first native woman to ever win the award).
Stone accepted gracefully and even made a point to state that she shares the award with Lily, but came away with the honor in one of the most competitive years for the category.
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