{"id":654548,"date":"2025-02-25T02:20:17","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T23:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/tiktok-star-julian-sewell-talks-oscar-noms\/"},"modified":"2025-02-25T02:20:17","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T23:20:17","slug":"tiktok-star-julian-sewell-talks-oscar-noms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/tiktok-star-julian-sewell-talks-oscar-noms\/","title":{"rendered":"#TikTok Star Julian Sewell Talks Oscar Noms"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tIf you\u2019re a fan of film and a fan of TikTok, you might have heard of Paloma Diamond. If not, keep reading \u2014 and watch Paloma Diamond pull you in.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe internet inside joke revolves around a character created by high school teacher-turned-social media<\/a> star Julian Sewell<\/a>. The 29-year-old, from New Zealand, first went viral on the app<\/a> in 2023 when he posted a parody of the Oscars. \u201cAnd the nominees for best actress are\u2026\u201d he begins in the video, which pans to Sewell as all five actresses. Each one is sporting a deliciously convincing wig as a 20-second clip from their made-up film follows, such as The Remedy <\/em> \u2014 which appears to be a medical drama \u2014 or, poking fun at long movie names with a specific location, Awake, Alone and Aware on the Streets of Topeka, Kansas<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\tAll five characters were distinctive and had their own personality, like Lorelai Lynch, a young rising star overwhelmed with gratitude, or seasoned pro in Taylor Witherfork, confidently waving to the camera. But it was one actress in particular that Sewell\u2019s followers became obsessed with: a smirking, elusive and grey-bobbed Paloma Diamond. Fans wanted more.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSomebody said to me the other day: \u2018You\u2019re like the Mariah Carey of the Oscars,’\u201d Sewell tells The Hollywood Reporter <\/em>of his annual awards show videos. \u201c\u2018You come around every year.\u2019 Maybe that\u2019s gonna be my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe adds: \u201cThe top comment on the winners announcement video [in 2023] was: \u2018Paloma Diamond was robbed.\u2019 It had tens of thousands of likes.\u201d As of the time of writing, THR <\/em>can confirm the comment has accrued more than 100,000 likes. \u201cWell, I\u2019ve got to do something with this character now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSince then, following a viral Vulture<\/a><\/em> profile (\u201cPaloma Diamond Is Winning Awards Season\u201d), Sewell has posted two more yearly awards nominations parody videos to coincide with the actual, real-life Oscars (taking place March 2), and Diamond has become a TikTok sensation. Users share theories revolving around her being snubbed by the Academy (she now boasts 20 nominations with no wins), they unpack why her latest film is not her best performance, or why another of Sewell\u2019s characters (such as, this year, scream queen Yolanda Fontaine in No Vacancy<\/em>), deserves the honor instead.<\/p>\n

\n\tDiamond, who Sewell says is partly inspired by Glenn Close, Cate Blanchett and perpetual Daytime Emmy nominee Susan Lucci, has also featured in spin-off videos such as the Downton Abbey-<\/em>esque The Greatest Virtue of Propriety<\/em> and \u201980s soap Destiny & Deceit<\/em>, all of which Sewell stars in as every single character. It is on his TikTok and Instagram, bursting at the seams with elaborate scripts and fleshed-out characters, that more than three million followers are now tuning into what has become, effectively, his own TV channel.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnother TikTok user, Ari Thee Architect, had this to say in a recently posted video. \u201cThe nominations are in and I swear, if Paloma Diamond does not get her Oscar this year, I am boycotting the Academy.\u201d It\u2019s hard to explain just how fervid the actress\u2019 fanbase is in words \u2014 maybe numbers are more appropriate. This video, made by a fan Sewell has never had any contact with, has over 350,000 likes.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBluff <\/em>was sheer perfection,\u201d another person writes under the video, referring to one of Diamond\u2019s fake films. \u201cShe also did her own stunts.\u201d Sewell\u2019s other characters are brought in, too: \u201cCan you talk about Lorelai Lynch NOT being nominated? I was too stunned to speak.\u201d Others weigh in with passionate opinions about which of Sewell\u2019s many characters are deserving of a gold statuette: Lint Lecker says in his own Oscars analysis video (which has over 270,000 likes) that Paloma has \u201cgiven better performances than she did with Bluff<\/em>\u2026 Yolanda Fontaine, however, this woman\u2019s performance in No Vacancy<\/em> \u2014 I felt like I could feel the fear radiating off of her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTo stress: none of this is real. Sewell just nails all the Hollywood tropes and stereotypes we\u2019ve come to love.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis year, Diamond is up for her role in a film called Bluff<\/em> alongside an array of delightfully named competitors: Felicity Carmichael for Gifted Grace<\/em>, Jane Farroway for The Face in the Mirror at the Back of the Room<\/em>, Yolanda Fontaine for No Vacancy<\/em> and June Sheridan for Funny Lady<\/em>, which, of course, Diamond also directed.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\u201cI think part of the reason why engagement does really well on my platforms,\u201d Sewell says, \u201cis because it invites people to contribute to the lore and contribute to this universe\u2026 It\u2019s almost a little flavor of everyone\u2019s creative writing skills. They comment, \u2018Oh, I loved Paloma Diamond in 2002 when she played a bird\u2019 or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSewell has enjoyed creating a diva-type character in Diamond for his \u201clittle corner of the internet.\u201d The corner is quickly growing thanks to the content creator\u2019s \u201cfascination\u201d with the Oscars as well as his own acting chops. \u201cI would love to act professionally,\u201d he admits. \u201cI think that is slowly where this is heading.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the meantime, however, Sewell knows he\u2019s uncovered an engagement goldmine in Paloma Diamond. The Hollywood Reporter <\/em>spoke to Sewell in character as Diamond (wig and all) about the psychological toll that Bluff <\/em>took on her, why her long-time rumored rival Lynch is not nominated, and feeling snubbed by the Academy: \u201cSometimes I think to myself, and I wonder: what is it that I\u2019ve done? Who have I hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPaloma, thank you for speaking to me. How was it receiving news<\/a> of your Bluff <\/em>nomination?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIt was absolutely wonderful. You know, this would be my 20th nomination, and every single time, it\u2019s just been the biggest privilege to be nominated, particularly alongside a group of wonderful colleagues and actresses who all deserve best actress equally. It\u2019s an absolute honor.<\/p>\n

\n\tI know your career has been so broad and so vast with Breathe<\/em> (2024), The Day Hell Froze Over <\/em>(2003) and Destiny & Deceit <\/em>(1984) alone showcasing your range. I wonder where Bluff <\/em>ranks in terms of just how difficult that role was.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tSo, Bluff<\/em> follows the story of a woman who has been chosen by an agency to run her own poker-playing business. She\u2019s also a teacher. She\u2019s an educator, so she knows so much about her craft. It involved me actually learning about poker, the game<\/a>. I\u2019ve only played it a few times in my life, but actually, I had to go through rigorous training on how to play poker, how to play blackjack. I visited several casinos. I went to Las Vegas. I studied the roulette tables. I studied the game. There\u2019s an actual art to poker \u2014 it\u2019s not just a game of luck. It\u2019s something that is incredibly strategic. There are rules. There are ways around the rules. The art of bluffing in itself, which is what the movie is all about, isn\u2019t something to be flippant about.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was very vigorous psychologically. I had to go through a lot of counseling, because bluffing is all about lying and deceit, right? And that\u2019s not who I am, that\u2019s not what I stand for. It was mentally very challenging.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019re reaping the rewards of that dedication in the gear-up to the Oscars now. People are really rooting for you. Your fanbase, especially on TikTok, is fervid. Do you watch what people are saying?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s very controversial. There are a lot of people that do support me, which is so lovely, and there are people that have stood by me all these years because they believe that I have been treated unfairly by the Academy because I\u2019ve never won. So it is lovely to hear that there is an army of Paloma supporters that follow me. But I also do have my haters and people that somehow, for some reason, have something against me. But just I take it in my stride. I try not to let that affect me.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen you\u2019ve been in the public eye for so long, it\u2019s normal to have people that don\u2019t like you, and that\u2019s just a part of the business, but I\u2019m honored that there are so many people that believe that Bluff <\/em>was a work of art and that I deserve a nomination.<\/p>\n

\n\tDo you feel like you\u2019ve been snubbed by the Academy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s a touchy subject. Sometimes I think to myself, and I wonder: What is it that I\u2019ve done? Who have I hurt? Who have I betrayed \u2014 if there has been a betrayal \u2014 and why? Why the need to single me out as an actress? Why am I the one that has to succumb to all of these losses? I can\u2019t help but ask those questions. It\u2019s really hard for me to fathom and to contemplate. What I will say is that it has hurt me.<\/p>\n

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\n\tOf course, accolades are never something that you do this job for. But is 2025 your year?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tWe will never know until the day. Maybe I will never win. And I\u2019ve said this before on several talk shows and radio shows, and I\u2019ve said this in my autobiography. I have to be okay with that. Twenty nominations is better than no nominations, and I have to look on the bright side. I think my that\u2019s what my fans have followed me for and know about me. Maybe I can set an example of resilience, of strength. I can\u2019t let it destroy the little light inside of me. I have to just keep going.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou are a role model to a lot of people. I wonder if you could speak a little bit about your relationships with the other nominees. I know you have a strenuous one with Lorelai Lynch who isn\u2019t nominated this year. But what other performances stood out to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tWell, of course, I directed June Sheridan in Funny Lady<\/em> which is a brilliant, brilliant comedy. I read the script, made a few tiny edits, but really she delivered in that role. She really did, and she deserves the nomination. In fact, she deserves to win. And if she wins best actress then I can\u2019t help but feel that I had something to do with that. So I would be happy if she won, in all honesty \u2014\u00a0you know, she had to wrestle with an anaconda. And she did all of her own stunts in that movie. So I can\u2019t help but feel that she absolutely 100 percent deserves it. I have spoken to Yolanda. Yolanda is a good friend of mine. She just embodied this role No Vacancy<\/em>. It\u2019s a horror movie set in a motel, and it\u2019s all one shot. I watched it by myself, and I just think that she was spectacular.<\/p>\n

\n\tFelicity and I used to work together back in 1998, we were in The Bakerfield\u2019s House <\/em>together. She is a very, very old friend of mine. She deserves it as well. That movie is getting a lot of hate, it\u2019s getting a lot of bad press at the moment, but I just have to say, I still enjoyed it. Jane Farroway has come a long way. She\u2019s really grown in these past few years.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo there\u2019s no bad blood this year between you and your fellow nominees<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

\n\tAbsolutely not. There\u2019s no bad blood at all. That\u2019s not what Paloma does or what she stands for. All I\u2019m saying is that Lorelai \u2014\u00a0without pointing fingers, there\u2019s a reason why she\u2019s not nominated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n