‘Wicked’ Director Jon M. Chu Jokes ‘I’m Gonna Win That Oscar’ After Academy Snub in Stunned Acceptance Speech at Critics’ Choice

J. Kim Murphy

7 February 2025 at 9:57 pm·2-min read

“Wicked” director Jon M. Chu beat out several Oscar nominees for best director at the Critics’ Choice Awards Friday evening, taking home the prize from that body. The filmmaker seemed stunned as he took the stage at the behest of his encouraging cast, including stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

“I’m going to win that Oscar!” Chu began in his speech, drawing a huge laugh from the room, before waving it away with his hand and smiling, “I’m not nominated, I’m not nominated.”

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Chu went on to explain he hadn’t written a speech, saying that “I will be real with you. … We get to tell stories for our life. I’d been waiting to not think about algebra or grammar ever again. I just wanted to make movies. I wanted to work with my friends. I wanted to share whatever it is we had in our heads that week, that year, in our childhood. I feel very privileged to be here, to be telling the stories to the world with all of you out here.”

The director went on to thank his wife and five children: “This is for all the people who love artists. It’s a hard life to love an artist. We are selfish people. We are weird. But you guys pick us up. … America is the greatest place in the world. Yes, we have our issues. It’s the greatest place where dreams can come true. We can achieve stuff my parents could have never dreamed. All those people helped support me.”

Though “Wicked” is one the most-nominated features at this year’s Oscars with 10 nods, some prognosticators were surprised to see Chu didn’t make the cut in the best director category. At the Critics’ Choice Awards, Chu beat out Oscar nominees Sean Baker (“Anora”), Brady Corbet (“The Brutalist”), Jacques Audiard (“Emilia Perez”) and Coralie Fargeat (“The Substance”). Denis Villeneuve (“Dune: Part Two”), RaMell Ross (“Nickel Boys” and Edward Berger (“Conclave”) were also nominated.

See the full list of winners from this year’s Critics Choice Awards here.

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