Chloé Zhao was nominated for best director for “Hamnet”
Congratulations on your nomination. How did you find out you were recognized?
I’ve been on a night shoot that wraps at four in the morning, and then I was rushing to the airport this morning to go to Sundance. I’m a little tired, and so I couldn’t watch it live, but I got a text message from my publicist. I was very happy.
You previously won the best director Oscar in 2021 for “Nomadland,” and “Hamnet” recently took home the top prize at the Golden Globes. Do you pre-write your acceptance speeches?
No. [Laughing] My publicist is shaking her head over there. She always asks me to do it. It’s scary, but at the same time, it’s exciting for me to see how things go in the moment. But I think it might be a good to have a list making sure we thank all the people, because you can get too nervous and forget. I, myself, have made a mistake. So I would say, like, prepare some.
You recently released a video of the cast and crew dancing to Rihanna’s “We Found Love” on the last day of filming. Have you heard from Rihanna?
I’ve been waiting to hear from Rihanna since I was in high school. Every day, I’ve wished one day [my phone] would go “ping!,” and then I could go, “Oh my God; life goal completed.” I saw her at [an awards ceremony], and I walked behind her three times to use the bathroom when I didn’t need to, just so that I could be at proximity to her. Everyone said, “Go say hi!” But I was too scared. I’ve been dancing to her music since my first film. The “We Found Love” video is the first time I captured it, but I’ve been dancing to Rihanna’s music since “Songs My Brother Taught Me.”
You are making history as the first person of color and second woman to be nominated twice for best director. How does that feel?
Wow. Just very honored. I feel that the story that we tell, and then the village we build, the way that this community came together to make “Hamnet,” is the way I love the world. So if this means that more of us get to work this way, it’s exciting.
Who are you going to bring with you to the ceremony?
I’ve never been to the Oscars. Well, that’s not true. I did go during COVID, but not only were we not allowed to bring anybody, most nominees couldn’t even be in the room at Union Station. Only the people being announced could be in the room. All the other nominees had to queue up outside. So this is my first regular, normal Oscars. So I have to think about who to bring.
Are you doing anything special today to celebrate?
Well, I’m sitting in a Panda Express right now in the airport on my way to Sundance. I’m going to be seeing a bunch of my colleagues in the Sundance community, where my career started. So it’s going to be incredible to hug everybody and celebrate. But for now, this morning, I got myself some Chinese food at the airport. Not the healthiest, but I am rewarding myself with some greasy Chinese food.
Speaking of food, there’s famously no food at the Oscars. Will you be sneaking a snack into your bag?
I brought my own homemade food like Chinese special pears and goji berry tea to the Critic’s Choice Awards. I had a whole bag of goodies. So I’m planning on having so much stuff that I can also hand it out — maybe making some money along the way.
