EEAAO and Tom Cruise are both featured at the 2023 PGA Awards

“Guys, this is crazy,” said “Everything Everywhere All at Once” producer Jonathan Wang as he accepted the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of a Theatrical Motion Picture at the 2023 Producers Guild of America Awards on Saturday. “This is madness!”

Alongside her co-producers Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the writer-director duo behind the hit A24, and stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu, Wang’s speech was all about the emotions around her. The 2022 SXSW premiere is a year-long rise to the most-nominated film at the 95th Academy Awards. “You, the other candidates, shouldn’t have accepted, you shouldn’t have accepted, but I feel like a family member in this room with you,” said the oblivious producer.

On paper, a multi-universe dramedy centered around an Asian-American family and featuring vibrator fights and hot dog fingers might not be the kind of movie that hits home with an Academy that, despite efforts to diversify over the past decade, still has a voting base that is 66 percent male and 81 percent white. . But with the Daniels winning the DGA Award and now the film winning the PGA Award, there’s every indication that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” will capture the hearts of enough voters to win Best Picture on March 12 his Oscar.

Of the 15 films that have won both awards since 2000, only four have not won the Best Picture Oscar. The PGA Awards is a particularly good indicator of how Oscar voters feel about a nominee, as the guild uses the same preferential voting as the Academy Awards.

All in all, in a room full of producers on Saturday night, one would have expected the night to end with a different winner. “Top Gun: Maverick” star Tom Cruise was back in the spotlight at the Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom, two weeks after an Oscar nominees luncheon at which Steven Spielberg made a viral clip thanking him for waiting to release the film. “Cinema was on the ropes, but then Spielberg nailed it: Tom Cruise came and saved Hollywood’s ass,” said actor Daveed Diggs, who opened the PGA Awards.

From there, Cruise, who also received a special David O. Selznick Award, received a shout-out from Milestone Award winners and current Warner Bros. Pictures Group CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, producer of the Mazel Tov comedy series. winner ‘The Bear’ and a plea from Liz Meriwether, creator of limited series winner ‘The Dropout’, asking her to pull the DWP to turn the power back on. “I saw the movie ‘Chinatown,’ I know how this city works,” the TV writer joked. “I’ll do anything.”

Jonathan Wang speaks and the cast of Everything Everywhere All at Once onstage at the 34th Annual Producers Guild Awards

John Salangsang/Invision for The Producers Guild of America/AP Images

To give you a better idea of ​​how much Tom Cruise was made to headline the PGA Awards, the clip package that played before he took the stage to accept the David O. Selznick Award was 13 minutes long. “I want to thank the studios, all of them. You all taught me what you do,” said the actor-producer, casting a wide net in his appreciation.

However, as he continued, the star delivered a line that his critics are sure to take out of context. “They all made it possible for me to have the adventurous life I wanted,” Cruise said. “I was able to travel the world, work and watch movies in many countries to share their culture and realize how much we have in common and to admire our differences.”

Star Danielle Deadwyler’s speech when introducing the special Stanley Kramer Award winners, the producers of “Till,” also included a line with heavy subtext. “It’s so important that we continue to create and nurture important themes together, even if it means fighting with particular vigor and passion,” said the actress, who recently made headlines for the film’s exclusion from the Oscars. . statement. “We need more stories that showcase diversity of color, religion, gender, sexuality and ability. There is no place for hatred or exclusion of any kind in this guild or in the work we make.”

Both animated and documentary winners have similarly used their PGA Awards acceptance speeches to make sweeping comments about the evolution of the industry. “The documentary community is going through a huge shift, and we need more champions of truth to take the risk of bringing stories like this to the world,” said Melanie Miller, producer of “Navalny.”

Along the same lines, Guillermo del Toro, the helmer of “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” a contender for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, reiterated what he’s been stressing all awards season, that animation is a medium for everyone, not just kids. “Every artist in this medium is trying to push it toward things that can be meaningful to all of us,” del Toro said. “You can see the potential and we can make it happen. We have to venture into areas that don’t feel safe but will be much more rewarding.”

Register: Stay up to date with the latest movie and TV news! Subscribe to our email newsletter here.