Regina Hall says she and fellow Oscars co-hosts Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes want to “bring a sense of fun and delight back” to the ceremony.
The 51-year-old actress has teased that Sunday night’s bash at The Dolby Theater in Los Angeles will touch on the pandemic and situation in Ukraine, but overall it will be an uplifting experience for the guests and viewers, after three years without a host. She said: “It’s been a rough couple of years around the world, not just our country. I mean, there are pandemics, there’s been domestic strife, there’s been a lot of divisiveness, so I think we just want to bring fun, celebration—remembering what has actually helped us during the pandemic, and sometimes that’s been entertainment and the escape. So, we’re going to bring a sense of fun and delight back into it.”
Regina told BAZAAR.com: “I mean that’s the big thing too; we want to make sure that we all recognize that we don’t have movies if we don’t have an audience, and so it really is about celebrating every component of film, of movies. She then teased: “There will be surprises for sure.” Regina added: “We just want to give a reprieve for many things that just are. “We’re really excited about it, and the support has been really overwhelming, we’re really grateful for all the love we’ve been receiving from everyone.”
It’s already set to be a historic night as the trio are the first three female stars to front the ceremony. Amy recently admitted their rehearsals had been “an absolute blast”. Asked how the preparation has been going, the ‘Trainwreck’ star said: “So fun. Wanda and Regina are like complete comedy royalty to me. And for the three of us getting together, we’re having an absolute blast.” But Amy insisted they wouldn’t be pitting themselves against each other, even for entertainment value. She added: “I think people are like, ‘What’s it gonna be like?’ And they wanted to do some jokes about us being competitive, and we were just like, ‘No, that’s not the vibe.’ We’re really enjoying each other.” It’s been reported the Academy Awards will operate in a three-act format, with each presenter heading up one hour of the three-hour event.
