Not even 1 minute or 30 seconds: this is the shortest acceptance speech in the Academy Awards’ history
The winner of Best Supporting Actor at the 1991 ceremony has gone down in history for his words after receiving the award.
At the 97th Academy Awards, Adrien Brody broke the record for the longest speech in the history of the Academy Awards. The actor, who won for his outstanding performance in ‘The Brutalist,’ took to the stage and spent 5 minutes and 40 seconds thanking everyone non-stop for the award. It was difficult to beat, but what Joe Pesci did in 1991 was much simpler. The Italian-American received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for ‘Goodfellas’ and took to the stage to collect the award and say a few words.
And that’s literally what he said: “It was my privilege. Thank you.” That was all Joe Pesci said on the night of March 26, 1991. A simple guy who just wanted to get his speech over with as quickly as possible. The actor beat out stars such as Al Pacino, Graham Greene, Andy Garcia, and Bruce Davison.
A performance for the history books
Joe Pesci did not win against all odds, as he gave one of the best performances of his career, one that is remembered by all fans. The Italian-American actor brought Tommy DeVito to life, an irrational, trigger-happy gangster, but above all, one with unmatched charisma. ‘Goodfellas’ (1990), directed by Martin Scorsese, is one of the best films of its genre and in the director’s filmography. It tells the true story of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), a young man who gets involved in organized crime alongside Tommy DeVito and Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro).
Joe Pesci’s role as a mobster is just one of many he has played in his extensive filmography. The Italian-American actor has been nominated twice more for Oscars in the supporting actor category: for ‘Raging Bull’ (1980) and ‘The Irishman’ (2019). The three films for which he was nominated were directed by Martin Scorsese.
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