Brad Pitt won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood at the 92nd Academy Awards. Pitt saw strong competition from Al Pacino and Joe Pesci for The Irishman. Tom Hanks for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and Anthony Hopkins for The Two Popes.
Set in the 1960s, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sees Pitt’s character Cliff Booth as the easygoing stunt double for fading star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio).
Pitt began his acceptance speech with a reference to the impeachment trial of Donald Trump and its blocking of John Bolton’s testimony. He said, “They told me I only have 45 seconds up here...which is 45 seconds more than the senate gave John Bolton this week.”
The actor then dedicated his award to “my kids, who color everything I do – I adore you.” After which he paid tribute to Tarantino, whom he described as “an original … one of a kind. The film industry would be a much drier place without you.” He also gave a shout-out to his parents, to stunt people, and to his co-star DiCaprio, on whose coattails he said he was “happy to ride … the view’s fantastic”.
Pitt already won awards for the role including best-supporting actor at the Baftas, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild. This is his first Oscar for acting. His previous nominations for best-supporting actor were in 12 Monkeys, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Moneyball. But, his work as a producer saw him win the best picture Oscar for 12 Years a Slave along with best picture nominations for Moneyball and The Big Short.
