Oscars 2024 recap: Viral moments, highlights and winners

“Oppenheimer” was a big winner on Sunday night at the Oscars, with the World War II-era film taking home seven total awards.

Christopher Nolan personally took home two of the coveted gold statuettes — for best director and best picture — something he was happy about as he spoke to reporters in the media room following the ceremony.

“It means I can do curls,” he laughed, pantomiming doing arm curl exercises. “They’re very heavy!”

He said making the film was an “incredible thrill” and he was pleased it had been so well-embraced by audiences.

“When you make a film on a large scale, obviously you have to believe there’s some audience for it out there. ..the response from people around the world, far exceeded anything that I ever imagined would be possible.,” he said. “Critically, young people were coming to see the film, there were so many things that came together for us to see this film.

He also revealed how he decided which parts of the J. Robert Oppenheimer story he decided to keep in. The screenplay is based on a 2005 biography about the nuclear physicist titled “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.

“I think, as with any story, you have to go through a process of looking at all the detail of what the story could be and then trying to settle on something that is practical."

Nolan said he decided to go with his gut, in the end, even though it was a “constant struggle,” as he believed the characters of the film to be deeply and richly interesting.“There were facets to all the characters that couldn’t be flushed out…and entire film could’ve been made about their lives,” he said.

Speaking to the press backstage after taking home the Academy Award for best actress, Emma Stone says she’s resolved her ripped dress issue.

Earlier in the broadcast, Stone had rushed onstage after learning she’d won the Oscar for her role of Bella Baxter in “Poor Things,” and told the audience her gown had split.

Later, backstage, Stone said that after she exited the stage, staff had been able to temporarily repair her dress.

“They sewed me back in,” she laughed. “I was so amazed by Ryan and what he was doing and that number just blew my mind and I was right there and I just was going for it and you know, things happen!”

She added that after winning the award, she “blacked out.”

“I was very shocked,” she said. “I still feel like I’m spinning a little bit. It’s a huge honor and I’m very surprised.”

Stone beat out Annette Bening, Lily Gladstone, Sandra Hüller and Carey Mulligan for the award.

When asked what playing her character of Bella Baxter had meant to her, she replied that it was “so important.”

“She is a character that is so important to me. I think the chance to play a person starting from scratch but in a total metaphorically, can’t-really-happen-in-real-life way …and getting to chart that course and getting to realize that she was just full of joy and curiosity of not just the good but the challenging in life and was just fascinated by all of it, that was an amazing, an amazing lesson to take with me into trying to get to live in the shoes of every day.”

She concluded that even though they had wrapped filming more than two years ago, she was “grateful” to revisit the character.

“I really miss playing her ever since,” she said. “I’m really grateful we got to celebrate the film tonight and these past few months.”

The internet was quick to make fun of Al Pacino for his unusual delivery of the winner of best picture.

Instead of naming all of the nominees, Pacino went ahead and announced the winner.

"Best picture… uh, I have to go to the envelope for that. And I will. Here it comes. And my eyes see 'Oppenheimer?'" he said as he opened the envelope, before confirming the film was, in fact, the name on the card inside.

Social media users became obsessed with Pacino's announcement.

"couldn’t have been more chaotic or confusing lol," wrote one X user.

"Al Pacino just going 'uh yeah Oppenheimer' lmaooo perfect ending no notes," another X user said.

Another summarized: "thank you Al Pacino for wrapping it up 5 mins early. goodnight team."

After winning his first Oscar, "American Fiction" writer Cord Jefferson is imploring the film industry to take more risks.

"It’s more a plea — it’s a plea to acknowledge and recognize that there are so many people out there who want the opportunity that I was given.... I understand that this is a risk-averse industry, I get it,” he said in his initial speech thanking the Academy.

“But $200 million dollar movies are also a risk, you know?” he said. “And it doesn’t always work out but you take the risk anyway....There are so many people, I just feel so much joy being here, I felt so much joy making this movie, and I want other people to experience that joy, and they’re out there I promise you."

"The next Martin Scorsese’s out there, the next Greta’s out there — both Gretas, the next Christopher Nolan’s out there I promise you," he concluded "They just want a shot and we can give them one and this has changed my life."

Following up on his big win, Jefferson spoke to the press in the media room and echoed those sentiments.

He explained that he chose to set the film in Boston because he felt like films often show Black people in the same tired stereotypes he lampoons in the film.

"It is just as nuanced and complex and diverse as any other group of people and so, to me, showing that side of Boston ...that's important. I think it's important to show diversity and diversity within diversity," he said.

"People assume that diversity means one thing," he said, noting that adding one Black actor to a cast is not it.

"One black guy in a room" is not "the totality of the black experience," he continued.

"And to me, it’s important to recognize that there is no...no one Black person contains the totality of the Black experience; that you have people in the projects, of course; you had people who were slaves, of course. But, you know... (between the) pole over here of the slave, you have the pole of being President of the United States. That’s part of the Black experience in this country," he concluded. "And you have millions of stories in between those two poles to tell."

Taking home the biggest accolade of the night, "Oppenheimer" won the Oscar for best picture.

In the acceptance speech, producer Emma Thomas, who is married to director Christopher Nolan, said she's been "dreaming about this moment for so long but it seemed so unlikely it would ever happen."

"The reason this movie was what it was was Chris Nolan. He is singular he is brilliant and I am so grateful to you," Thomas said of the film's director, who won his first individual Oscar earlier in the night.

"Oppenheimer" walked into the night with the most nominations, coming in at 13. The film has garnered golden hardware Sunday night for best actor in a leading role, actor in a supporting role, directing, original score, film editing and cinematography.

The film was up against a competative list of popular films from the past year, including “American Fiction,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Barbie,” “The Holdovers,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro,” “Oppenheimer,” “Past Lives,” “Poor Things” and “The Zone of Interest.”

Da’vine Joy Randolph took home the Oscar for best actress in a supporting role for her part in “The Holdovers,” but she is already looking ahead.

Randolph, who played mourning mother Mary Lamb in the film, told press backstage that she believes it’s “imperative” to “pay it forward.”

It’s imperative because the people who’ve done it before me, allow me to be in this position now,” she told reporters. “So the type of work I do, I strive for authenticity for quality, allows that to be the new standard set, where we can tell universal stories in black and brown bodies and it can be accepted and enjoyed amongst the masses. It’s not just ‘Black TV’ or ‘Black movies for black people,’ but instead (a) universal performance that can be enjoyed by all.”

She added that in her career, she had to be resilient because of all the rejection actors face.

“The beautiful and hard thing about being an actor is it req you to have resilience… You have to fortify yourself in a way that some people never ever have to do, so for that I am grateful,” she said.

Randolph also noted that she’d used her grandmother’s glasses in the film but also included several other “subliminal messages” to the women who came before her.

"I did a lot of research and did little subliminal messages, if you will, with hairdos, and details and accessories — beyond the glasses… so that the people that knew, knew,” she said. “It felt like a love letter to Black women.”

Emma Stone won the award for best actress in a leading role for her role in "Poor Things," her second time winning the award since 2017.

"My dress is broken," Stone said. "I think it happened during 'I'm Just Ken,' I'm pretty sure."

Through tears, she said she shared the award with her four fellow nominees: Lily Gladstone, Annette Bening, Carey Mulligan and Sandra Huller. She also gave a shoutout to director Yorgos Lanthimos, before thanking her daughter, who is about to turn 3.

Stephen Spielberg presented the award for best directing to Christopher Nolan who won his first Oscar for "Oppenheimer," his World War II biopic on the father of the atomic bomb J. Edward Oppenheimer.

Nolan thanked many members of the crew and his family, including his wife and "Oppenheimer" producer Emma Thomas (he also gave her a cheeky shoutout for producing their children).

Cillian Murphy won the Oscar for best lead actor for his performance as Robert J. Oppenheimer in "Oppenheimer."

In an emotional speech, Murphy held back tears saying he was “overwhelmed” by the win, adding that he’s a “very proud Irishman standing here tonight.”

He thanked his cast for "carrying him through" his journey of creating the character of Robert J. Oppenheimer, also giving a shoutout to his two sons.

"I'd really like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere," Murphy concluded his speech.

Similar to the best actor and actress in leading roles, the nominees were each given a moment to acknowledge their stellar performances. A group of previous winners took a moment to speak about Murphy, Bradley Cooper (“Maestro”), Colman Domingo (“Rustin”), Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”) and Jeffrey Wright (“American Fiction”).

Billie Eilish's "What Was I Made For?" beat out four other songs to win the award for best music (original song).

While accepting the award next to her brother Finneas O'Connell, the 22-year-old teared up, acknowledging she didn't know what to say because she wasn't expecting to win her second Oscar.

“This goes out to everyone who was affected by the movie and how incredible it is,” Eilish said.

Eilish and O'Connell became the youngest artists to ever win two Oscars before the age of 30, according to Variety. The pair previously won the award for the James Bond theme song "No Time to Die" in 2022.