“I never thought in a million years this little girl from Ohio — Dayton — would be nominated," said Beachler, 55. “I didn’t graduate from Centerville High School thinking I was going to be nominated for an Oscar someday. You don’t ever think that’s possible. So, it was very overwhelming.”
Credit: Kevork Djansezian
Credit: Kevork Djansezian
She said the honor of being The First felt bittersweet particularly due to her reverence for acclaimed production designer Wynn Thomas, who received an honorary Oscar last November.
“I knew at the time that it was bigger than me because I knew what the history was immediately,” Beachler said. “The minute I got nominated I knew I was The First Black person who has ever been nominated (for best production design) — even above Wynn Thomas who was Spike Lee’s designer for 40 years. So, you’re taking in the heaviness of being The First because it’s a little bittersweet — the heaviness of knowing there was somebody else who should have been the first. Wynn is a mentor and I knew it should have been him on many movies such as “A Beautiful Mind,” “Cinderella Man,” “Mars Attacks!,” “Hidden Figures” and any of Spike Lee’s movies. But it was me, so I had to carry the responsibility of it being bigger than me.”
Looking back on Oscar night, in which she faced steep competition from designers representing “The Favourite,” “Mary Poppins Returns,” “First Man” and “Roma,” Beachler recalled just being happy to have been embraced by her peers with a nomination.
“I was a little like a deer in headlights,” she said. “What girl from Ohio thinks she’s going to find herself on the Oscar red carpet in heels? I was just happy to be there. I was with my son who was able to experience (the Oscars) as well. I was just glad people acknowledged ‘Black Panther’ and recognized how special the film was. I wasn’t expecting to win. It was all a big huge surprise.”
Credit: Jordan Strauss
Credit: Jordan Strauss
Her credits include “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Fruitvale Station,” “Creed” and the 2016 Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning best picture “Moonlight.” She also received an Emmy nomination for Beyoncé’s visual album “Lemonade” and served as production designer for the documentary concert film “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé.”
In addition she made her Broadway debut in 2024 designing an Afrofuturistic spin on Dayton native Schele Williams’ rousing revival of “The Wiz,” which was performed at the Schuster Center last November.
For her “Sinners” contributions, Beachler won best production design from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and she’s nominated for a BAFTA (British Academy Film Awards), an Oscar precursor which will take place Sunday at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
She keeps her Oscar in her living room at her home in New Orleans. It signifies her groundbreaking accomplishment but is also a constant reminder of the work yet to be done.
“It is a testament that I have worked hard and paid my dues and then some,” Beachler said. “It also reminds me not to rest on my laurels. It’s just a milestone — not the end."
ACADEMY AWARDS
The 98th annual Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will take place Sunday, March 15 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live at 7 p.m. on ABC and streamed live on Hulu.
For a complete list of nominees, visit oscars.org.
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