Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. described the emotional atmosphere at the Acadamy Awards. The 50-year-old star joined Imelda Staunton and will.i.am. on “The Graham Norton” show this week to talk about Hollywood’s annual love letter to itself.
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“Jack Nicholson told me… ‘Cuby, when you’re nominated you are hot until that awards show. When you win, you’re hot for one year,’ and that’s it, that’s it,” the actor recalled. “Because next year, you’re replaced by the next winner and then they get that calling card.”
Reflecting on his 1997 award for Best Supporting Actor (“Jerry MacGuire”), Gooding Jr. painted a vivid scene of what it is like to attend the show. “You have a room… and everybody here is nominated,” continued Gooding Jr. “Everybody here thinks they could win, so potentially you have a room full of winners.”
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“I walk out [to accept my reward], I lose my mind, and everybody is like ‘that’s me in about two minutes!’ By the end of the show, you have a room full of losers and a small group of winners still happy,” he said. “Everybody else is like ‘f**k you.'”
Also, Staunton brought a bag full of sandwiches to the Oscars. Smart move.
