It’s been said that the essence of all great art is gratitude, and the spirit of thankfulness has not been lost on this year’s Oscar nominees. After the Academy announced nominations for the 86th Academy Awards early Thursday morning, contenders took to social media to react to the honor by expressing shock, thanks and—in Jared Leto’s case—a wish to go back to sleep after the announcements.
The true goal of all of these humble reactions from the nominees: to draw favorable attention to themselves and bask in the warm glow of positive sentiment. This is the driving force of most actors and, dare we say it, most brand communications. It's what messaging is all about.
Here are eight choice—and shareable—messages of gratitude from this year's Oscar nominees:
“At no point during filming, in the sweltering heat of New Orleans, did any of us ever foresee the journey this film would take us all on. Steve McQueen created an entire family to tell one man’s tale and I am delighted that so many of this family have also been recognized today. I am hugely grateful to the Academy for this great honor and, of course, to Solomon Northup for sharing his story through his breathtaking book.” — Chiwetel Ejiofor, best actor nominee for 12 Years a Slave
“This is just the loveliest news. I’m so happy for everybody involved, and so proud to have been part of the wonderful experience that Philomena has been.” — Judi Dench, best actress nominee for Philomena
“I thought I didn't get the nomination because I woke up and thought it was getting light outside…It feels absolutely amazing, and I’m incredibly honored to be part of this insanity. It’s an absolute dream and I’m so proud to be part of a $4 million film about people fighting for their lives…Every scene, every day was incredibly challenging…I'm going back to bed and then wake up and make vegan pancakes.” — Jared Leto, best supporting actor nominee for Dallas Buyers Club
"Thank you so much to the Academy for this nomination and for all of the nominations for the film. It's very exciting! Congratulations to my fellow nominees, it's an honor to be nominated in the company of these four actresses who I admire and are so incredibly talented." — Jennifer Lawrence, best supporting actress nominee for American Hustle
“These nominations are not just about single achievements, but rather the collective effort of hundreds of dedicated artists who made this dream a reality. On behalf of everyone involved with Gravity I want to express our deepest gratitude to the industry, the exhibitors and the public for embracing this film so passionately.” — Alfonso Cuarón, best directing nominee for Gravity
“The Wolf of Wall Street has been a passion project of mine, and I found the role to be one of the most challenging and rewarding of my career. Congratulations to all of my fellow nominees and thank you to the Academy for this extraordinary recognition.” — Leonardo DiCaprio, best actor nominee for The Wolf of Wall Street
“This film has been a privilege to be a part of throughout and I have been lucky enough to work with such wonderful talent. I’m so proud of this movie, and the story that it tells, that for it to be recognized like this, is absolutely wonderful. Philomena is here with me today and I know that this means the world to her, too.” — Gabrielle Tana, producer of best picture nominee Philomena
“I am in complete and total shock. I honestly was not expecting this, on a level you can’t even imagine. Again, I’m clearly in shock. I didn’t have a plan for celebrating today because I truly did not expect any of this! But I am going to Critics’ Choice Awards and will be great to see everyone from the film there tonight. Truly, this is shocking.” — Jonah Hill, best supporting actor nominee for The Wolf of Wall Street
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“The true goal of all of these humble reactions from the nominees: to draw favorable attention to themselves and bask in the warm glow of positive sentiment.” Thanks for writing the post Brian, you made me think about it! But, really? That’s the true goal? I think many of them are just like the rest of us – happy when we do a job well. Happy and surprised to receive to receive a compliment. Believe me, I love a good opportunity to craft a message, but I’m going to say that some of these nominees really were just saying thanks. I