Some songwriters wait decades to win an Oscar for Best Original Song. However, songwriting sibling duo Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell notched their second Oscar win in the category in just two years time for the ballad “What Was I Made For?” from Warner Bros’ highest grossing movie of all-time, Barbie.
The last time Eilish and O’Connell won, it was for the title song from 2021’s No Time to Die; the duo’s win blocking then Oscar nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda from an EGOT.
“I had a nightmare about this last night,” Eilish said after being presented with the trophy.
She then paused in a gaze before busting out laughing.
“Thank you so much to the Academy, I just didn’t think that this would happen. I was not expecting this. I feel so incredibly lucky and honored. Greta –where’d you go? I love you! Thank you for this!” continued Eilish.
“I’m so grateful for this song, and this movie, and the way that it made me feel. This goes out to everyone that was affected by the movie and how incredible it is.”
Eilish ended with “I want to thank my best friend Zoe for playing with Barbies with me growing up and being by my side. I want to thank my dance teachers growing up, my choir teacher, Miss Brigham, thanks for believing in me; Miss T – you didn’t like me, but you were good at your job!” The latter got a laugh from the crowd.
Similar to their performance of the song at the Grammys, Eilish and O’Connell kept the performance stripped down to its bare essentials with the latter on piano and the former softly crooning her soprano.
As poignant and moving as the song is, you could say Ryan Gosling to was tonight’s showstopper, clad in rhinestone cowboy pink for his performance of “I’m Just Ken” complete with a Busby Berkeley-like production number, the bird’s eye camera capturing the Drive star onstage with big cardboard faces of retro 1950s Barbie.
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