Frances McDormand wins Oscar for best actress, honors all women in film in ultra-powerful moment
"If I fall over pick me up, because I've got some things to say," Frances McDormand began in her acceptance speech for Best Actress at the Oscars.
It's been a simultaneously traumatic and empowering year for women in film. And McDormand didn't shy away from addressing the current climate in Hollywood -- both in her prescient performance, and on the night of her big win itself.
She put down her coveted trophy for "perspective," she said, opening up her arms to the audience and asking, "If I may be so honored: Can I have all the female nominees stand up with me?"
McDormand then called upon all the nominated women to stand up and accept the honor alongside her, whether their work was in front of or behind the camera.
McDormand has been the favorite to take home the gold ever since she started winning in the category at every other award show over the season, scooping up the SAG Award, the Film Independent Spirit Award, and the Golden Globe.
This is her second win in the category, having already been awarded Best Actress in 1997 for her beloved performance in Fargo. Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri has been a divisive film among critics, but the respect for McDormand's talent was damn near unanimous.
The win for this role feels particularly relevant to this moment in women's history. McDormand played Mildred Hayes, a grieving and fierce mother who demanded action from local police for her daughter's murder. The performance appears to have resonated with many during a year when women speaking out and demanding change caused such cultural waves across every industry.
Since the film's release, many activists have even used the protest tactic McDormand's character used to call out people in power -- demonstrating the sheer impact of her work.
After the women stood in the audience, McDormand turned her attention back to the male gatekeepers. "Look around you, because we all have stories to tell, and projects that need financing."
Jess is an LA-based culture critic who covers intimacy in the digital age, from sex and relationship to weed and all media (tv, games, film, the web). Previously associate editor at Kill Screen, you can also find her words on Vice, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Vox, and others. She is a Brazilian-Swiss American immigrant with a love for all things weird and magical.
