After the Golden Globes, the Critics’ Choice Awards and the SAG Awards, everyone was anxiously waiting for Hollywood’s biggest night of the year, the Oscars, the nominations of which were announced early morning Jan. 23.
To the delight of many fans, “The Big Sick,” starring Pakistani American actor Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Anupam Kher, Holly Hunter and Ray Romano, The Big Sick has found a spot in one of the prime categories of the award ceremony.
The comedy has been nominated for the ‘Best Original Screenplay’ award at the Oscar. Nanjiani starred in and co-wrote “The Big Sick” with his writer-wife, Emily V. Gordon. The story of the film, which was born out of the creative duo’s personal experiences, touched the hearts of critics as well as audiences. Loosely based on the real-life romance between Nanjiani and Gordon, it follows an interracial couple who must deal with cultural differences after Emily (played by Kazan) becomes ill.
A friend of him, Wright had predicted last year that Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon would be nominated for Best Original Screenplay for their film The Big Sick. If his prediction turned out to be right, Nanjiani would have to eat a heaping plate of a food he hates, brussels sprouts. That’s why, soon after the nominations were announced, Nanjiani found himself staring down at a pile of roasted sprouts and a glass of champagne.
“I’ve never been happier to lose a bet and eat a bowl of something I dislike,” Nanjiani tweeted before clarifying that he still didn’t care for brussels sprouts, despite the positive connotation they’re now associated with. So, bad news for parents of picky eaters. Getting your kid an Oscar won’t make them suddenly like the veggies they hate. “I can confidently say this was my last bowl of brussels sprouts ever,” Nanjiani added.
But Wright clearly wasn’t done with the Silicon Valley star yet. “But what if you win? What then?” the director tweeted. “I have it. If you win, you have to eat an Oscar made of sprouts.” So far, Nanjiani hasn’t agreed to this latest bargain, but since it’s been publicly posted on Twitter it’s basically legally binding. We eagerly await photographic evidence of this monstrosity.
“The Big Sick” will compete against original screenplays for “Lady Bird,” “Get Out,” “The Shape of Water” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” The announcement, in a first, combined live presentations from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater, with pre-taped category introductions, which were featured in the first half of the announcement. The Oscar awards will be handed out on ABC on March 4.