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Brad Pitt accepted the 2020 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday.
To win his first Oscar, Pitt beat out fellow nominees Joe Pesci (“The Irishman”), Al Pacino (“The Irishman”), Tom Hanks (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”) and Anthony Hopkins (“The Two Popes”).
The actor, 56, called out his “Once Upon a Time in ... Hollywood” director Quentin Tarantino and co-star Leonardo DiCaprio in his speech.
“Leo, I’ll ride on your coattails any day man,” he said. “The view’s fantastic.”
He continued: “This really is about Quentin Jerome Tarantino. You are original, you are one of a kind. The film industry would be a much drier place without you and I love the ethos you gave Cliff Booth. Look for the best in people, expect the worst but look for the best.”
The actor also thanked his family: “This is for my kids, who color everything I do. I adore you.”
Pitt swept the award season with his role as stuntman Cliff Booth, a straggler from Hollywood’s Golden Age trying to navigate the counterculture of 1969 Los Angeles. In the movie, Cliff and fading actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) rub elbows with real-life characters (most memorably Bruce Lee and the Manson family), all filtered through Tarantino’s surrealistic sunglasses.
In an ode to his character, Pitt also took a moment in his Oscar speech to thank Hollywood stuntmen. “I also want to say, you know, while we’re doing all this, it’s time we give a little love to our stunt coordinators and our stunt crews,” he said.
To date, Pitt has taken home an award at every major show this year: a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critic’s Choice Award and a BAFTA.
“Once upon a time in Hollywood,” Pitt said, recalling his move to Los Angeles as a young actor. “Ain’t that the truth.”
This marks Pitt’s first acting Academy Award in his decadeslong career, which he began as the ultimate Hollywood heartthrob in 1991’s “Thelma & Louise.” Plagued by incessant gossip around his love life — which he joked about in his Golden Globes acceptance speech for his best supporting actor award — Pitt nevertheless went on to both act and produce award-winning films, including the acclaimed “12 Years a Slave,” which he produced.
Pitt was also entirely responsible for one of “Once Upon a Time in ... Hollywood’s” funniest moments. In an effort to hype up the ego-driven Rick before a gig, Cliff calls out to him, “Hey, you’re Rick f--king Dalton!” Rick goes on to bomb his performance. Pitt later revealed that not only did he improvise the line, but it was based on a real story from his own life.
“When I first started, I had this guy,” he told Marc Maron in an episode of the podcast WTF. “Total freeloader. I would always just see him walking back and forth wearing my clothes, using my dryer, eating the food. But he was there for me, man. And one day, I was bitching and moaning, and he says, ‘Hey man. Don’t forget. You’re Brad f--king Pitt.’ And you know what? It soothed me.”
Then again, the scene of Cliff feeding his “Pitt-bull” in a trailer alone deserved an Oscar.
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