This story was originally published on HelloGiggles.com
Given that the 2017 Oscars are almost here, many are reflecting on the annual event. On the heels of a possible EGOT, Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote all about his favorite Oscars moments. It’s a delightful trip down memory lane, sure to make you feel the familiar lump in your throat.
This Sunday, Lin-Manuel Miranda will be waiting to find out if his song “How Far I’ll Go” from the Disney film Moana will earn him an Oscar. If it does, he will become the 13th — and the youngest — person in history to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, AND a Tony.
In an essay written for The Hollywood Reporter, Lin-Manuel Miranda goes into some of his favorite Oscar moments ever.
Of course, he mentions Tom Hanks’s incredible speech after winning forPhiladelphia. And how the “In Memoriam” section made him and his family freak out over not knowing someone great had passed. But there were also some surprises!
Lin-Manuel reminds us of how Kim Basinger spoke out about Do The Right Thing getting snubbed while presenting.
“Kim Basinger presenting in 1990 and telling the audience that one of the best films of the year, Do the Right Thing, was not nominated. For her to take a stand, 25 years before #OscarsSoWhite, was incredible — and impressive because time has shown the prescience of that film.”
Expect a lot of political speeches during Sunday’s award show as well. And a lot of emotional ones. The Academy nominated a record number of people of color this year. Possibly due to their effort to be more inclusive after #Oscars SoWhite.
Another of Miranda’s favorite Oscar moments of all time came when Whoopi Goldberg won an Oscar for her role in Ghost.
Miranda writes:
“Then she said, ‘As a little kid, I lived in the projects, and you’re the people I watched. You’re the people who made me want to be an actor.’ For me, it was like she was saying, ‘If you want this, you can get it, too. I’m proof that you can.’”
People everywhere need to see more representation of themselves in media. Hopefully this year, they can see Lin-Manuel Miranda.