The Academy Awards was full of surprises this year, from the first Oscar wins to Leonardo DiCaprio showing with his girlfriend in years.
Amy Madigan’s first Academy Award in 40 years
One of the worth mentioning moments from the night is Amy Madigan’s first Oscar win in over four decades of her career. The 75-year-old actress won the accolade for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Aunt Gladys in Weapons.
KPop Demon Hunters
Netflix’s animated hit KPop Demon Hunters has taken a prominent position during this year’s awards season. The Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans-directed animated musical got two Oscar wins under its name: Best Animated Feature and Best Song.
“This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere,” the director Maggie gushed in the acceptance speech. “I’m sorry it took so long for us to see ourselves in a film like this, but it’s here now, and that means future generations no longer have to yearn for it.”
Cassandra Kulukundis’ Best Casting award
In the list of first ever Oscar wins, Cassandra Kulukundis’ name is important to note. The casting director won the Best Casting award at the 98th annual Academy Awards for curating the cast of One Battle After Another. The actors featured in the movie includes, Sean Penn, Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyanna Taylor and many more.
Barbra Streisand’s surprise mini performance
Legendary EGOT-winning entertainer, Barbra Streisand, gave a surprise touching performance of The Way We Were to pay tribute to her friend and former costar Robert Redford, who died in 2025.
And the Best Actor goes to…
And the major moment from the evening was Michael B. Jordan winning the Best Actor accolade for his twin role in Sinners. This victory made him the sixth black Hollywood actor to ever win Oscars.
The actor, who played the dual role as identical twins Smoke and Stack in the film, also honored the Black Oscar-winning legends before him, Halle Berry, Jamie Fox, Sidney Poitier and Will Smith.
