When Adam McKay and Charles Randolph won tonight for Best Adapted Screenplay, the former waxed political: “If you don’t want big money to control government,†he said, “don’t vote for candidates that take money from big banks, oil, or weirdo billionaires — stop.†The comment seemed like it could have been twisted into a veiled jab or endorsement, but backstage, the director clarified his intent.
“I really didn’t [have a specific candidate in mind],†he said, calling The Big Short a right-left movie. “Big money is taking over our government, and until right and left goes, no more big money. It has to be like a scarlet letter on these candidates. So I really honestly did not mean either side, but, like, Google it. Just Google it. You can see what the candidates have been paid, and when you elect people that get money from banks and oil and weirdo billionaires, that’s who they vote for.â€
They were serious words from a director with a serious win under his belt. But McKay made sure to juxtapose his commentary with insight into how one follows up an Academy Award–worthy project:
My next movie is going to be about cholesterol. And it’s going to be in black and white, and it’s going to be Shostakovich scoring it. It’s going to be the grimmest movie you’ve ever seen in your life. And Charles is going to write it … while with pneumonia.