Memorable Interviews About Memorable Performances at SBIFF Virtuosos Awards

It was an evening that began with a drum beat and ended with a crescendo of applause for the Virtuosos Awards at Santa Barbara International Film Festival, a perennial favorite event that recognizes a number of breakthrough performances from the previous year’s films.  

This year’s honorees — interviewed by Dave Karger for the 14th consecutive year (he’s also the host of Turner Classic Movies) — included America Ferrera (Barbie), Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), Greta Lee (Past Lives), Charles Melton (May December), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers), and Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers), as well as two actors who sent in video greetings because they were on set and couldn’t get away: Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple) and Colman Domingo (Rustin and The Color Purple). 

But before the evening’s more traditional festivities got rolling, we had a special performance by musician Scott George and his Osage tribal ensemble performing their Academy Award–nominated song “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from The Killers of the Flower Moon. It was an invigoratingly refreshing way to start the evening —  although the optics of the Old Mission Santa Barbara’s good-hearted, music-loving Father Larry Gosling in his priestly garb rising out of his seat to dance alone to the Indigenous drum sounds did give me some pause, as well as a whole host of one-liners I will refrain from sharing.

Then it was onto what Karger described as “probably the most accomplished group we’ve ever put together for these awards.” In addition, he noted that all eight of the honorees were either performers of color or members of the LGBTQ community as opposed to the straight white men — whose performances he also complimented — spotlighted in previous evenings at the festival.

America Ferrera was in the interview seat first, following a clip of “the monologue” from Barbie that took the Internet by storm, which she said was “terrible” for her to watch the first few times. “Have you ever had to listen to your own voice on voicemail?” But eventually Ferrera got more used to hearing it and shared, “The first time I could really hear my voice was at the L.A. premiere when I had my 3-year-old daughter on my lap the whole time.”

Of the Barbie experience itself, she said, “No one asked for this movie, no one knew we needed this movie, but clearly we needed this movie. Aside from being in it … I was so thrilled that this version of the Barbie movie was the one we got.”

Andrew Scott, who was so fabulous as the sexy priest in Fleabag, described last year’s All of Us Strangers as “film that is so incredibly compassionate,” and although it’s on the heavy side, “you always have to be ready in a so-called sad movie to the let the light in.” 

Charles Melton, who gave a stellar performance as Julianne Moore’s young husband in the Mary Kay LeTourneau–adjacent film May December, shared that it was done in just 23 days. Admittedly a bit intimidated working with Moore, Natalie Portman, and director Todd Haynes, the Riverdale alum said he kept “telling myself just to focus on the work. I know you want them to like you, but just focus on the work,” and ended up having a great experience. 

A nonsmoker (and trained opera singer) who smokes a lot in her role in The Holdovers, Da’Vine Joy Randolph shared that she modeled her smoking style on Bette Davis movies. She also told a very moving story about watching a woman watch The Holdovers on a plane and then tell her how much the film meant to her and to her family who had a recent loss that had some parallels to Randolph’s character in the film. 

Greta Lee, whose fabulous performance in Past Lives is even more impressive given how polar opposite her character is from the one she plays on The Morning Show, got a big laugh when she said her TV castmates’ response to the film was, “Holy shit, Greta!” The film was definitely a breakthrough for her, in part because of Asian representation.  “I don’t know when I’ve seen an Asian American movie with a woman’s face on screen for so long and so close up,” she said. Adding, “This script was so striking for so many reasons. Both small,  urgent, and necessary. Like everything I had been searching for all my life.”

As the first Indigenous person EVER nominated for an Academy Award (this year, along with the musician we met earlier, Scott George), representation was also a huge theme in the discussion with Lily Gladstone. “It’s very touching to see the impact that a win for one of us means a win for all of us,” said the actress, dressed in a fabulously feathered ensemble. Throughout this award season, she has made a point of wearing designs by Indigenous people on the red carpet. 

After the one-on-one interviews, Karger ended the night with a series of fun group questions in what was clearly a love-fest all around.