Culture

Juno stars Elliot Page, Jennifer Garner and J.K. Simmons reunite at 2022 Oscars

By Sam Damshenas

28th March 2022

The cast of Juno staged a surprise reunion at this year’s Oscars ceremony, 15 years after the comedy-drama won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Elliot Page, who earned an Oscar nomination for their performance as the title character, reflected on the legacy of the film with co-stars Jennifer Garner and J.K. Simmons as they announced the recipient of the same award.

“We all experience the exhilarating feeling of reading a wholly original screenplay that felt new and exciting,” said Garner, who won rave reviews for her portrayal of Vanessa Loring, the prospective adopted mother of Juno’s child.

Page praised Juno’s script, saying it had them “hooked from the very first page”.

“I was completely infused with Diablo Cody’s distinctive voice. It was unlike anything I’ve ever heard before,” they continued, to which Simmons added: “There were definitely some phrases in there I had not read before.”

Simmons, who played Juno’s father, said a “couple” phrases came to mind such as, “Your eggo is preggo,” and “Pork swords.”

After saying the screenplay for Juno was “the kind of script that you just knew had to be brought to life on the big screen,” Garner announced Kenneth Branagh as the winner for writing the critically-acclaimed drama Belfast.

The 94th Academy Awards made history for queer visibility with Ariana DeBose’s win for Best Supporting Actress.

The Prom star, who took home the trophy for her performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story, became the first openly queer actor of colour to win an Academy Award for acting.

As she concluded her acceptance speech, DeBose shared inspirational words for LGBTQ+ people around the world.

“Lastly, imagine this little girl in the backseat of a white Ford Focus, look into her eyes and you see an openly queer woman of colour, and Afro-Latina who found her strength in life through art,” she said.

“So, to anybody who has ever questioned your identity ever or you find yourself living in gray spaces, I promise you this: there is indeed a place for us.”

Jessica Chastain, Best Actress winner for her role as evangelist and television personality Tammy Faye, also used her acceptance speech to call out “discriminatory” legislation in the United States.

The star highlighted the ongoing issue of suicide, which has affected her own family and many “members of the LGBTQ community, who oftentimes feel out of place with their peers.”

“We’re faced with discriminatory and bigoted legislation that is sweeping our country, with the only goal of further dividing us,” she continued. “There’s violence and hate crimes being perpetuated on innocent civilians all over the world.”

Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’, which is officially called the Parental Rights in Education bill, seeks to restrict “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” in primary schools and has sparked international outrage.

Wanda Sykes directly references the controversial bill as she told the audience in her opening monologue: “We’re going to have a great night tonight. And for you people in Florida, we’re going to have a gay night.”