Oscars 2019: Olivia Colman wins hearts of millions with best actress speech

Olivia Colman won the votes of the Oscars Academy members – and took the hearts of the tens of millions watching around the world, too.

The British star of quirky historical movie The Favourite picked up the Oscar for best actress – and then apologised from the stage to Glenn Close, who had been widely tipped to win her first statuette.

Colman’s acceptance speech took in her children, her husband, her early life as a cleaner and her childhood acting dreams.

The shock and genuine emotion in her voice set the Oscars alight.

It was a night in which diversity and inclusivity dominated an event, which had been under pressure to deliver a faultless show.

Speeches by Oscar winners including Alfonso Cuaron and Remi Malek touched on the cultural themes which dominate the global conversation. It is no surprise that there were even mentions of Donald Trump’s wall.

That Cuaron took home an armful of Oscars for a movie made in Mexico, by Netflix, demonstrates some of the shifts in the entertainment industry.

There is some unease at a streaming TV service gatecrashing the Oscars – and members notably did not give it best picture.

This year presented the Academy with a major test. Falling television audiences, stretching duration and a lack of a traditional host created an air of crisis before the show.

But it actually came in a good 30 minutes shorter, the lack of a host added a freshness to the flow, and we await the TV viewing figures in the next few days.

The fact that some big box office blockbusters were up for awards should have done the viewing audience a boost.

Spike Lee fired up the crowd, after picking up the first Oscar of his career, will a political rallying call.

“The 2020 presidential election is just around the corner,” he said.

“Let’s do the right thing.”

There are those who are angered by from entertainment industry figures lecturing them from awards show stage about politics. This year, the messages were more tempered but no less forceful.

Away from the politics, there were moments that set social media alight. Lady Gaga’s duet with Bradley Cooper and her tearful tribute to her own hard work were perhaps the most viral.

As a celebration of the movies, the Academy can perhaps be happy that the show went off without a hitch. It left us with plenty to talk about – and that is what the Oscars always does well.

(c) Sky News 2019: Oscars 2019: Olivia Colman wins hearts of millions with best actress speech