‘What Was I Made For?’ Wins Billie Eilish (and ‘Barbie’) an Oscar
The song, which Eilish wrote with her brother, Finneas O’Connell, is the siblings’ second award in the category.
Billie Eilish’s tender, yearning ballad “What Was I Made For?” won for original song, ensuring that “Barbie” will leave the ceremony with at least one Oscar.
The soundtrack for Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster film became a powerhouse unto itself, loaded with songs by A-list stars. “What Was I Made For?,” which Eilish wrote with her brother, Finneas O’Connell, won song of the year at the Grammys and was the favorite in this category at the Oscars. This is the siblings’ second original-song Oscar. They previously won for “No Time to Die” from the 2021 James Bond blockbuster. At age 22, Eilish is the youngest two-time competitive Oscar winner in history.
“I was not expecting this,” Eilish said in a speech. “I’m so grateful for this song and for this movie and the way that it made me feel. And this goes out to everyone who was affected by the movie and how incredible it is.”
In a sign of the strength of the “Barbie” soundtrack, the winner’s stiffest Oscars competition may have been another song from the film, “I’m Just Ken,” Ryan Gosling’s doleful lamentation. Gosling, and a large ensemble that included some of the film’s Kens, performed the number on Sunday night.
“Barbie,” which has grossed $1.4 billion at the box office worldwide, came into the evening with eight Oscar nominations but was a favorite only in the song category.
Why should you not thank your publicist if you win an Oscar?
The idea, some think, is that publicists work behind the scenes to promote you, so they should be kept in the background. But the Oscars are the ultimate promotion, so I agree that if they helped get you there, they are worth a thank you.
How did the award get the nickname “Oscars”?
There’s some debate. Some say the statue reminded academy librarian Margaret Herrick of her uncle Oscar. Others say Bette Davis said its derriere reminded her of her second husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson. Hollywood gossip columnist Sidney Skolsky said he gave the nickname. It’s not, as far as we know, named for the Grouch.
What’s the deal with the floating straps trend seen on the red carpet?
The working theory is that the straps were a design accent that allowed the actresses (Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh, both representing “Oppenheimer”) to safely stand out — to inject just the right amount of strangeness and direction into their look, without verging too far into risk-taking, worst-dressed territory. The futuristic floating straps were polarizing, but memorable. And at the end of the day, the gowns you remember are the gowns that won the night.
Why aren’t stunts an Oscar category?
They should be! (In my opinion.) The Screen Actors Guild Awards honor the stunt people for film and TV already. But adding a category to the Oscars is a fraught process, and has been known to go haywire. (Anyone remember the “achievement in popular film” Oscar, which was introduced in 2018 and then scrapped a week later after an outcry?) Still, there is hope: There have reportedly been talks within the academy about a stunt Oscar.
How do they choose presenters? Some folks, besides past winners, seem random.
This is part previous winners, part actors who were in some of the nominated films and part publicists working overtime. A number of presenters have projects to promote, so it’s good for them to get face time on the show for those future (and current) releases.
Do the actors announcing the nominees write their own introductions?
They usually do not. Often, their intros are put together by the show’s writers, and the actors don’t get much time with the material, which is why some read the lines so awkwardly. The exception is usually with comedian presenters, like John Mulaney, who no doubt wrote his funny/oddball bit about “Field of Dreams” that he delivered when presenting the Oscar for best sound this year.
Matt Stevens writes about arts and culture news for The Times. More about Matt Stevens
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