“This is absolutely astounding. Thank you, Academy, for this very significant honour,” Tazewell said in his acceptance speech. “I’m the first Black man to receive the costume design award for my work on Wicked. I’m so proud of this.”
The award-winning designer expressed his gratitude to his colleagues and loved ones. “Thank you everyone in the UK for all of your beautiful work, I could not have done this without you,” he said. He also extended his appreciation to his Wicked cast, highlighting stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande: “My Ozian muses, Cynthia and Ariana, I love you so much – all the other cast, thank you, thank you, thank you, for trusting me with bringing your characters to life. This is everything. Director Jon M Chu and producer Marc Platt, thank you.”
Tazewell’s historic win follows in the footsteps of Ruth E Carter, the first Black person to win the Best Costume Design Oscar for Black Panther in 2018. She won again for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2022.
This year’s Best Costume Design nominees included Arianne Phillips for A Complete Unknown; Janty Yates and David Crossman for Gladiator II; Lisy Christl for Conclave; and Linda Muir for Nosferatu.
Tazewell’s work on Wicked has already garnered multiple accolades, including wins at the Critics Choice Awards, Costume Designers Guild Awards, British Academy Film Awards, and the BAFTAs. His previous achievements include an Emmy for The Wiz Live! and a Tony for Hamilton. He was also previously nominated for his work on West Side Story.
The 97th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles.
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