Los Angeles – It was a proud Pinoy moment for us when Ronnie del Carmen was mentioned as one of the Oscar nominees for “Best Original Screenplay” for the animated Disney/Pixar film, “Inside Out.”
Being mentioned together with other top filmmakers and screenwriters like Ethan and Joel Coen for “Bridge Of Spies,” Tom McCarthy for “Spotlight,” and Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff for “Straight Outta Compton” made us truly proud to be a Filipino and a Thomasian (Ronnie also graduated from the University of Santo Tomas).
But more than that, Ronnie is a humble, hardworking, talented artist who simply breaks into a smile when one congratulates him for all his achievements and successes. The 55-year-old animator-turned filmmaker from Cavite remains grounded and focused on his goals, not his laurels.
Yes, he will say “thank you” to your kudos but in the same breath, moves on by not enjoying the accolades because there is new work ahead and new deadlines. But that is probably the secret of his success.
We asked Ronnie by email his reaction to his Oscar noms and this is what he told us:
“I completely forgot I had to wake up for the announcements! But I woke up just in time anyway. Angels watching over me! I watched the stream and ‘Inside Out’ was nominated for best animated feature! I cheered in my house in my pajamas! They started the second round of nominations, my heart started really pounding. I was nervous! Why am I nervous?! But when they read the nominations for Best Original Screenplay for ‘Inside Out’ my head could explode. What a rush! I was fist-pumping a YES!
“This is such a huge honor for me. You have to understand, back in the Philippines when I was growing up our family watched The Oscars. I mean, we huddled like it was a sport championship. Movies was a big thing in the family – as you can see with three of us brothers making movies. But to have a movie I worked on be nominated AND have my name read for an Oscar nomination seemed beyond all rational expectations! This is so unreal. And yet, there it is! This just happened! I am a very lucky man.”
We missed Ronnie at the recently concluded 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton where “Inside Out” ran away with the Best Motion Picture-Animated award. It won over “Anomalisa,” “The Good Dinosaur,” “The Peanuts Movie,” and “Shaun The Sheep Movie.”
But he was definitely there in spirit. Pete Docter, his co-director for “Inside Out,” said in an interview backstage after receiving the Golden Globe award, “To the Philippines, thank you for making Ronnie del Carmen. He is a great storyteller.”
As for Ronnie, he simply attributes his success to “doing what I love to do, to tell stories.”
His advice to young aspiring filmmakers, “Keep your head up. Think of the better versions of yourself. Make mistakes. You only learn the answers after making all the mistakes.”
(Clockwise from top) Jennifer Lawrence, Brie Larson, and Oscar Isaac. Photos by John Salangsang
BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE GOLDEN GLOBES
In the meantime, one can immediately feel the excitement of attendees, guests, and onlookers at the Golden Globes whether it be on the red carpet, the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel or at the six after-parties (Amazon, InStyle/Warner Bros., NBC/Universal/Focus Features, HBO, Weinstein/Netflix, and 20th Century Fox) all held at the Hilton vicinity.
The Philippines was represented in Hollywood’s party of the year by fashion designer Oliver Tolentino who recently dressed Miss Universe Pia Alonzo-Wurtzbach, “America’s Favorite Dermatologist” Dr. Tess Mauricio, eco-tourism and heritage conservation advocate Boboi Costas of Grassroots Travel, and award-winning filmmaker and TV screenwriter Senedy Que. Oliver was accompanied by his business partner Andrew Caruthers while Dr. Tess was accompanied by her husband, Dr. James Lee.
On the red carpet, Golden Globe Best Actress-Drama winner Brie Larson (“Room”), who was wearing a beaded halter gown by Calvin Klein, was more excited to compliment us on our purple one-shoulder gown by Filipino and Dubai-based designer Michael Cinco. Michael recently dressed Golden Globe Best Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television winner Lady Gaga for her award-winning performance as Elizabeth/The Countess of Hotel Cortez.
Backstage where we were interviewing the winners – Oscar Isaac (who won for “Show Me A Hero”), Christian Slater (“Mr. Robot”), Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”), Gael García Bernal and his colleagues in “Mozart in the Jungle” – were all so happy that they all kissed and hugged me as well. (Sorry ladies, it’s just part of the job.)
Cast of ‘Mr. Robot’. Photo by John Salangsang
Golden Globe Best Supporting Actress winner Kate Winslet (“Steve Jobs”) was so surprised by her win that she admitted that she didn’t prepare a speech and kept telling her co-nominee Alicia Vikander (“Ex-Machina”) to get her speech out when their category was announced.
Rachel Bloom, who bagged her first Golden Globe trophy for her role in “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” also told us backstage that our very own Lea Salonga will be appearing in the finale of the show.
The Fox party was the hottest party of the night what with winners Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Revenant”), director Alejandro G. Iñárritu (“The Revenant”), Matt Damon (“The Martian”) and Lady Gaga (“American Horror Story: Hotel”) there holding court.
Lady Gaga was almost in tears when we congratulated her at the Fox party. “Thank you very much. It is a dream come true for me,” she told us.
Credit: Janet Nepales, Manila Bulletin
