“To make this believable, I leaned on Sam Cooke’s signature confidence and swagger. There were many times when I felt like I didn’t quite measure up. But in those moments, I’d lean on Sam’s assurance, because he knew how to hold his own. In an interview, Leslie Odom Jr., who was nominated for best supporting actor and best original song for his role as Sam Cooke in “One Night in Miami,” said, “There were times, there were moments when it felt like bringing him so close helped me find some of that magic in myself.”

“It’s strange to hear your own name, so I just quietly gave thanks and felt some gratitude… I was punching the air and jumping up and down in my bed and screaming when I heard (names of fellow nominees including Paul Raci and Darius Marder)! Everyone on the set of this movie was doing it because they wanted to push themselves and go further than they had previously. In an interview, Riz Ahmed, who was nominated for best actor for “Sound of Metal,” said, “This was all of us trying to see how far we could go.”

“Wow Wa We Waa!” exclaims the narrator. Thank you so much for this honor, Academy! I can’t believe it — hearing my name in the same breath as these incredible women and their incredible performances is a dream come true! In a statement, Maria Bakalova, nominated for best supporting actress for “Borat,” said, “I am so grateful to Sacha Baron Cohen and my “Borat” family, and I congratulate them on their adapted screenplay nomination.”

“As a writer, it pains me to say this, but I’m beginning to believe the cast’s performance has something to do with the film’s quality. In an interview, Aaron Sorkin, director and screenwriter of “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which was nominated in six categories including best picture, said, “It felt like I was getting tossed the keys to a Formula One race car and as long as I didn’t put the car in the wall, these actors were going to win.”

“As we worked on it, I realized how rarely we see birth onscreen, despite the fact that it is such a universal human experience. To be seen only for that, let alone the subject we put onscreen… I learned early on that one out of every four pregnancies ends in miscarriage, but it is never discussed. So, if this recognition means that the film is seen and conversations begin in a few homes, I believe we have achieved everything we could have hoped for. Vanessa Kirby, best actress nominee for “Pieces of a Woman,” said in an interview.

“I recognize that the success of (co-producer) Ryan Coogler’s film, ‘Black Panther,’ is critical to our film. In an interview, Shaka King, who was nominated for best picture and best original screenplay for the film “Judas and the Black Messiah,” said, “We wouldn’t have gotten this film made without his participation.” He directed, co-produced, and co-wrote the film, which received six nominations and is the first best picture nominee produced entirely by African-Americans.

“Oh, no, I’ve never even considered it. That story was about the other side of the world, not the other side of the world. So not to me,” Yuh-Jung Youn, who was nominated for best supporting actress for her role in “Minari,” said in an interview after arriving in Vancouver, Canada, and starting a quarantine period.

“It means more to me than I can express to be a part of this historic year for the Academy, alongside so many incredibly talented filmmakers, and I’m particularly honored to be nominated alongside the incredible Chloé Zhao. I am truly honored and grateful to be among the many exceptional female filmmakers who have created such beautiful, inspiring, challenging, and varied work this year. — Emerald Fennell, best director and best original screenplay nominee for “Promising Young Woman,” which also won nominations for best picture and best actress.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to travel with our talented team of filmmakers and to meet so many wonderful people who generously shared their stories with us. Thank you very much to my Academy colleagues for honoring this film that is so dear to my heart,” Zhao said in a statement.

“It came as a full shock. We were in the middle of talking about something else and, of course, we never saw that coming, which added to the sense of ecstasy and increased the level of celebration dramatically. …… It’s midday here, and I’ve already consumed my fair share of champagne; bubbles are always a good start. It hastens the process. And yes, I’ll have a few drinks tonight,” Thomas Vinterberg said in an interview about his nomination for best director for “Another Round,” which was also nominated for best foreign feature film.

“Everyone has just embraced me for who I am and what I have to say. Being a young 23-year-old Black woman, this is big. In an interview, H.E.R., who was nominated for best original song for “War for You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah,” said, “I’m only paving the way for those who will continue to fight alongside me, and for those who will come after me for generations and generations to come.” The singer won a Grammy for her protest song “I Can’t Breathe” on Sunday.

“Being remembered by a global community like this is amazing. We spent years and years grinding away in an attic on the tip of Africa. It’s difficult to say why viewers have reacted so strongly… In an email message, Pippa Ehrlich, co-director of the nominated documentary film “My Octopus Teacher,” said, “I believe they are referring to parts of the story that are universal to almost every person on Earth — passion, friendship, connection, and hope.”

“There’s a moment when you see your movie and it’s what you hoped for, but it’s there, and you can’t believe it, and it’s an extremely satisfying fulfilling thing. I am still amazed that I was given the opportunity to direct it… (Late screenwriter) Audrey Wells wrote a story knowing she would not live to see it, she put her heart and soul into it to convey a message that was ideal for the world at this time… I am still amazed that I was given the opportunity to direct it…” — Glen Keane, director of

“This is a watershed moment for Tunisia. Tunisians were in desperate need of good news. But that was the big news of the day, and I’m overjoyed. — Kaouther Ban Hania, director of “The Man Who Sold His Skin,” a best foreign film nominee.