SPEECH BY: Alicia Vikander FILM: THE DANISH GIRL 88TH OSCARS BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW: ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Congratulations to Alicia Vikander from Whom You Know!
Q. Congratulations, Alicia. Congratulations once again. Do you feel that your success and the success with THE DANISH GIRL will open the door for additional LGBT stories to be told in Hollywood?
A. I definitely hope so. I came on this film only two years ago and I know that this was not an easy film to get made and it has been almost 15 years that one of our producers, Gail, had worked on it and to see kind of the cultural change with just me over the years since I actually finished the film with, I don't know, with Caitlyn Jenner coming out, with TRANSPARENT and TANGERINE, it's like a social change and I just wish that ‑‑ in the same way that this film has been so educational for me and with so many people that I got to meet and in preparation for it I hope that it can open up an even wider conversation, if our film can be a part of that discussion.
Q. Can you describe what was your first thought that went through your mind when they announced your name?
A. I'm trying to remember anything that just happened in the last five minutes. I had my mom next to me which was just ‑‑ I used to every night ‑‑ well, this night every year I woke up and set the alarm clock at 2:00 a.m. to watch this to celebrate in a distance film and people behind films, and to have my mom's hand and to experience being just here in this room has been pretty cool.
Q. [Speaks in Swedish.] What does this mean for you personally and for your career?
A. I'm going to take it in English, I guess. I mean, personally, like I said, I just looked up to, this is a celebration of film and the people behind it, so I'm just really honored that I was invited to be part of this thing tonight, and to get this is just beyond anything I would ever imagine. I never thought from back home that I would do films in English. I didn't know that you could as a foreign actress really. And, I don't know, I think if I can continue to work, that would be great.
Q. Congratulations. Who will you be celebrating with tonight and what will you be doing to celebrate?
A. I hope I'm going to get the chance to go out, have fun and have a glass of wine and meet up with my family and my entire crew that is here and my friends. So, and I even have a shorter dress in front so I can bounce and dance in it, so that's what I'm going to do.
Q. What is your take when you have to walk the red carpet? Do you ever feel an obligation to sort of step it up and, if so, how?
A. I think it's ‑‑ most of all, it is supposed to be fun. I'm very much I wear my jeans like a black Scandi chick, normally. I have been to a few weddings in my life where I walked one of those red carpets. That was the only time you got the chance to wear dresses like this, and it's just incredible to wear something that is like a piece of art. I don't know how many hours it took to make this dress. So it's fun. It is almost like you get the chance to act, your different sides of your personality and bring that out in your clothes, which is fun.
Q. First of all, congratulations. What a wonderful job in THE DANISH GIRL. There has been a lot of talk about diversity, obviously at the Oscars and in Hollywood in general. I was wondering what your take was on Chris Rock tonight in his opening monologue?
A. I thought he was great. I just admired him. I admire him as a big comedian, and I'm so happy that he came in tonight and just brought up both a lot of laughs and brought a lot of reality issues in the same way and I'm very happy that he is our host tonight.
Q. What piece of advice would you give to young girls around the world?
A. I don't know. I actually on stage said to my parents who were there and who have always told me, like, you can actually do it and it has been so many doubts and they are still there and I guess because there's some people who have really ‑‑ [interruption] ‑‑ did I miss something? Well, what I mean is that apparently a lot of things can be possible, things that I would never, ever, ever have believed in and that is only because I have had some incredible women supporting me so that is probably what I wanted to say to some young girls, just keep on doing it, I guess.
Whom You Know's review of The Danish Girl:
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