Jeremy Strong in 1993 (left) and in 2024 (right). Photo:
Jeremy Strong; Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty
Jeremy Strong’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination has him reflecting on a past Academy Awards ceremony — when the future star of The Apprentice was a kid and sat outside to watch the stars go by.
“Today’s nomination is, without overstatement, a realization of a lifelong dream. I remember spending the night on cold metal bleachers outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in 1993 with my father to watch the actors and actresses arrive at the 65th Academy Awards,” Strong, now 46, said in a Jan. 23 statement shared with PEOPLE. (Clint Eastwood’s Western Unforgiven was the big winner that year, taking home four awards including Best Picture.)
“I remember being unable to sleep because of how exciting it was to be close to that world. I have not lost that feeling of excitement; I feel it every time I go to set or drive onto a lot or begin rehearsals,” he continued.
“I have devoted my life to the attempt to do genuine work that would be worthy of this honor. I am filled with amazement and flooded with emotion and with deep gratitude to my peers in the Academy,” said Strong.
Jeremy Strong outside the 65th Academy Awards in 1993. Jeremy Strong
Academy voters honored the Emmy-winning Succession star for playing Roy Cohn in The Apprentice, the controversial film about Donald Trump’s early days as a real estate developer in New York City. The fictionalized account shows how ruthless lawyer Cohn allegedly molded the future president in his image.
Sebastian Stan, who portrays a young Trump, also earned a nomination for Best Actor.
Jeremy Strong (left) as Roy Cohn and Sebastian Stan (right) as Donald Trump in ‘The Apprentice.’. Courtesy of Briarcliff Entertainment & Rich Spirit
After its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last May, a Trump representative slammed the movie as “garbage,” adding that it’s “pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked.”
Though Trump’s camp threatened legal action, the movie nevertheless found distribution in the U.S. and was released last October. Strong alluded to the issues in his statement about the nomination, which came three days after Trump was inaugurated as U.S. President for the second time.
“This film has been an uphill battle every step of the way and faced inestimable resistance on every front,” he said.
Jeremy Strong on May 6, 2024. Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
“It feels absolutely miraculous to me that both Sebastian and I were recognized. Roy Cohn’s long, dark shadow was hanging over the Capitol Rotunda on Monday and his legacy of aggression, misinformation and untruth is now a Kingdom Come. This is a harrowing and courageous film that explores how we got to where we are today and was the role of a lifetime,” continued Strong.
The actor is nominated in the category along with his former Succession costar Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), Yura Borisov (Anora) and Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown).
The 2025 Oscars, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will air live from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2 at 7 p.m. ET on ABC and Hulu.
