Few outside the film industry know the name Alessandro Bertolazzi. That, however, changed Sunday, as Bertolazzi became the first Oscar winner to address the tense political climate in the U.S., dedicating his win to “all the immigrants.”
Alessandro Bertolazzi, accepting Academy Award for makeup and hairstyling: "This is for all the immigrants" https://t.co/Uw8bHLMeC7 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/lNL13niaxc
Bertolazzi is originally from Italy.
However, Bertolazzi was not the first or last to make a political statement during Sunday’s ceremony. Host Jimmy Kimmel started his monologue by acknowledging that the show was being broadcast around the world to “220 countries that now hate us.”
Kimmel went on to mention immigration again later in his monologue.
“Here in Hollywood we don’t discriminate based on what country you’re from,” Kimmel joked. “We discriminate based on your age and weight.”
Before Bertolazzi’s victory, however, Mahershala Ali took home the Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in “Moonlight.” Ali is the first ever Muslim actor to win an Academy Award, according to Variety and Vanity Fair.
Ali, however, did not address politics in his acceptance speech, instead thanking his co-stars, the film’s producers and his wife.
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