Julian Schnabel shows his gratitude

We asked Julian Schnabel, Oscar-nominated director of the French-language biopic The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, whom he’d like to thank in the event he wins and doesn’t get to make a speech. Or doesn’t win and doesn’t get to make a speech. In any case, he had gratitude to spare.

”Well, I’d love to thank [star] Mathieu Amalric, who, because he was invisible in the movie, didn’t get nominated for anything, but, without him, I wouldn’t be talking to you. He gave a great performance. And Max von Sydow. And all the actresses [he recites all their names]. I’d like to thank [Diving Bell‘s subject] Jean-Dominique Bauby and Florence, his girlfriend — she really helped me with this thing. I’d like to thank all the people at the hospital and the patients who helped me understand this stuff [about Bauby’s locked-in syndrome]. I’d like to congratulate Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis and Johnny Depp and Michael — I was going to say Michael Clayton! [Laughs] And Tony Gilroy and George Clooney. Obviously I’d like to congratulate the Coen brothers and Javier Bardem, who deserved an Oscar when we made Before Night Falls. And [No Country for Old Men star] Josh Brolin, who didn’t get nominated for anything but, without him, you wouldn’t have a whole movie. He did a great job. I’d like to congratulate and thank Sean Penn. I would like to thank Johnny Depp [who was originally due to star in Diving Bell] for actually getting me the job to direct this movie. They asked him to play this role and he said he would if Julian Schnabel directed it. I’d like to thank everybody that had anything to do with it. [Laughs] Is that my speech, man?”