1st-time Oscar winners share backstage emotions on Hollywood's biggest night

Mahershala Ali, Viola Davis and Emma Stone won their first Oscars.

ByABC News
February 27, 2017, 8:03 AM

— -- "Good Morning America's" Amy Robach caught up with Oscar winners Mahershala Ali, Viola Davis and Emma Stone backstage after Hollywood's biggest night at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Ali was awarded the first Oscar of the evening, taking home best actor in a supporting role for his part in the film "Moonlight," which later went on to win best picture after an initial, mistaken announcement of "La La Land" as the big winner.

When right after the show Ali was asked how he was feeling, he said, "A little conflicted, you know, because, yeah, it was just a little complicated at the end there. But it was an honest mistake, and I'm still happy for the 'La La Land' folks.

"And I'm just really proud of 'Moonlight' and having an opportunity to be a part of this project and to work with Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney and everyone involved, the cast and crew. It's amazing to walk away a year and a half after doing this project and have Oscar awards as a result," he told Robach.

Ali's Oscar was a climactic ending to an already remarkable week for the "Moonlight" actor, whose daughter Bari was born Wednesday. "I think this is like when I look at my life, I will probably -- I imagine I will look at this week as one of the more extraordinary moments in my life," he said.

Ali went on to joke that the awards show's emcee, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, will "have a lot of fun with the end there moving forward on the show the next couple days." Until then, Ali said he would celebrate with the cast and crew of "Moonlight" then go home to be with his wife and newborn daughter, who he said has "a lot to say and talk about and tell me in her own way."

Viola Davis stole the show when she accepted her first-ever Oscar for best actress in a supporting role, which she played opposite Denzel Washington in "Fences."

Davis, 51, who made history as the first African-American woman to have received three Academy Award nominations, delivered a touching speech without the help of any prepared notes. Backstage later, Davis credited her "lifetime of experience" for being able to speak on the spot.

"I always feel like I have a lot to say. At 51 years old, I've had a lifetime of experience man, I've been doing this for over 30 years professionally -- church basements, performing on Broadway, off-Broadway, I've lived a life. You always have something to say and you're never at a loss for words," the actress said.

The Emmy, Oscar and Tony-winning actress told Robach, "It feels good. I mean it feels like my hard work has paid off, but at the same time I still have the impostor, you know, syndrome. I still feel like I'm going to wake up and everybody's going to see me for the heck I am ... until I realize, OK, I do know what I'm doing. I'm human."

"I know I'm not the best, but I'm proud of myself," she said. "This is the first year I've allowed myself just a little bit to see that, to realize that self deprecation is not the answer to humility. That sometimes you can say, I deserve it," that I'm proud of myself, and move on."

Davis said the mixup during the announcement of "La La Land" instead of "Moonlight" as best picture left her looking around the room in disbelief.

"Shock. Amazement. I think I lost my breath. I did," she said. "I think that if I had seen that in the movies I would say, 'That is so unrealistic. There is no way that would ever happen.' But it goes to show you the surprises of life, right?"

Emma Stone found herself in an awkward position on Hollywood's biggest stage after accepting her first-ever Academy Award for best actress, then returning for what she thought was a second win for best picture, only to inadvertently find her name at the heart of a shocking mishap.

Robach asked the "La La Land" star when she first realized something was amiss. "I mean I think one of the stage managers came on stage, and they were asking me some questions," Stone explained. "So around then," she added.

Stone said it was one of the "craziest moments ever," but that she was excited for "Moonlight."

"I think 'Moonlight' is one of the greatest films of all time," she said. "So as far as I'm concerned I think this is like the coolest outcome ever. But the process of getting there was a trip."

Stone thanked an array of people in her own acceptance speech, including the four powerhouse actresses nominated alongside her, and said after the show that despite the last-minute chaos one of the highlights of the night was sharing the experience with her brother Spencer, whom Robach called her "good luck charm."

"He's been, I mean, he's the greatest person I know. I love him probably more than any person on the planet, so that's enough for me, that he exists is enough for me. But to get to hold his hand through tonight was something I'll never forget," Stone said.

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