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Oscars 2018: Frances McDormand wins best actress for Three Billboards and calls for all female nominees to stand up with her

Her acceptance speech was for the greater good

Ilana Kaplan
Monday 05 March 2018 05:36 GMT
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Oscars 2018: Frances McDormand uses acceptance speech to demand inclusion rider from Hollywood

Frances McDormand won for Best Actress at the 2018 Academy Awards and her acceptance speech was the most powerful moment of the evening.

The 60-year-old actress took home the award for her starring role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri and spoke prolifically despite her nerves kicking in.

"So I'm hyperventilating a little bit," McDormand quipped. “I think this is what Chloe Kim must have felt like after she did back to back 1080s.”

She then thanked her loved ones and said she wanted to gain perspective, placing her Oscar statue on the floor and asking all of the female nominees in the theatre to stand with her.

"We all have stories to tell and projects we need to finance," the actress said. "I have two words to leave with you tonight: inclusion rider."

It was a powerful statement that references the idea that there should be rules in contracts that promote equality for gender and racial diversity.

McDormand beat out Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), Margot Robbie (I, Tonya) and Meryl Streep (The Post) in the Best Actress category.

This award season has been kind to McDormand who also won Best Actress at the 2018 Golden Globes, SAG Awards and Film Independent Spirit Awards for her leading role in Three Billboards.

Even Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel was floored by McDormand's impassioned speech saying, "I hope she wins an Emmy for that speech because that was unbelievable.”

Hopefully McDormand's words carry weight in Hollywood and inclusion riders are implemented.

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