theater

Director Sang-il Lee sets his epic-scaled “Kokuho” in the vivid world of kabuki theater, but it’s not just the movie’s milieu that distinguishes it. Spanning 50 years and running nearly three hours, “Kokuho,” which has become Japan’s biggest live-action hit ever, evinces intensely mixed feelings about its two main characters’ quest for greatness. Kabuki is presented as an art form of balletic skill, but it can never fully redeem or repair the film’s central figures, who once were friends before ambition got in the way.

In 1964 Nagasaki, 14-year-old Kikuo (Soya Kurokawa) performs at a New Year’s event, impressing Hanjiro (Ken Watanabe), a beloved kabuki legend. But after Kikuo’s father, a yakuza crime boss, is murdered, Hanjiro takes the grieving teen under his wing. Soon, Hanjiro is training Kikuo and his own son Shunsuke (Keitatsu Koshiyama) in his Osaka studio to become “onnagata” — male kabuki actors who portray female characters. Both sweet and bashful, Kikuo and Shunsuke quickly grow close, enduring Hanjiro’s exacting requirements as he shapes them to be graceful, disciplined performers.

“Kokuho” then fast-forwards to the early 1970s as we meet the grown-up versions of Kikuo (Ryo Yoshizawa) and Shunsuke (Ryusei Yokohama). Now practically brothers, the young men are making their name as a well-regarded kabuki duo, but their personalities have begun to diverge. Kikuo remains soft-spoken, while Shunsuke is more of a partier and big talker, dominating their interviews with local journalists. Hanjiro still thinks highly of them both, although each pupil faces disadvantages. Kikuo is more gifted but in this nepotistic art form, being part of a respected kabuki lineage is crucial, something this yakuza scion doesn’t possess. Shunsuke, meanwhile, lacks his friend’s formidable technique, but because he’s Hanjiro’s son, his future prospects are practically assured. Kikuo and Shunsuke complement one another as performers but a shocking turn of events will sever their bond.

Adapting a novel by Shuichi Yoshida, Lee maps the arc of a friendship while exploring the minutiae of kabuki, both on stage and behind the scenes. (The movie’s Oscar-nominated makeup is an acknowledgment of the blinding-white face paint and bright red lipstick that kabuki actors wear to transform into their roles.) Much like ballet, kabuki necessitates precise choreographed actions: Not only does “Kokuho” provide generous samples of different kabuki pieces but also includes captions that list the title of the individual works and a brief synopsis. Rarely do these pieces directly echo the two men’s interpersonal drama, but the information adds context to the actors’ enchanting movements, which are backed by gorgeous outfits and striking set design that accentuate the mythical tales being played out.

Kikuo and Shunsuke’s fortunes shift over the decades — one of them will literally be kicked when he’s down on two separate occasions — but Lee doesn’t let us settle on a definitive impression of either performer. Our sympathies change as we witness both men’s failings as well as their enduring virtues. “Kokuho” is a hearty melodrama with a little bit of everything — sex scandals, betrayals, unlikely comebacks, health scares — but the film’s gaudy plot twists (which shouldn’t be spoiled) belie the filmmaker’s unsentimental attitude regarding stardom’s perils. Refreshingly, “Kokuho” is that rare film to be un-awed by talent alone. Both Kikuo and Shunsuke will enjoy high highs and low lows, but it’s their perseverance that ultimately means more than arbitrary benchmarks like “genius” or “brilliance.”

The film’s title translates to “national treasure,” another clichéd term thrown around when trying to categorize greatness. Kikuo and Shunsuke revere kabuki’s bygone giants, who are affixed with that moniker. But as “Kokuho’s” characters seek such an accolade for themselves, they come to realize how misleading it is. Yoshizawa and Yokohama bring abiding tenderness to their characters’ friendship while refusing to allow either protagonist to be reduced to a simple set of qualities. Kikuo’s delicate features suggest a pure soul, but Yoshizawa gradually reveals other sides to this gifted, haunted performer. And Yokohama ably depicts a privileged young man who rightly views his good fortune as both blessing and curse.

Their lives intersect, then disentangle, then return to each other’s orbit again. That elegant dance matches what we see on stage, the kabuki performances melding melancholy and beauty, anguish and catharsis.

The donkeys are pissed off. Put upon, out of work and victims of decades-long systemic abuse, it’s time, they have decided, to protest.

The donkeys, metaphorically, are us.

At least that’s the premise of “asses.masses,” a video game played by and for a live audience. It’s theater for the post-Twitch age, performance art for those weaned on “The Legend of Zelda” or “Pokémon.” Most important, it’s entertainment as political dissent for these divisive times. Though the project dates to 2018, it’s hard not to draft 2026 onto its narrative. Whether it’s unjust incarceration, mass layoffs or topics centered around tech’s automation of jobs, “asses.masses,” despite generally lasting more than seven hours — yes, seven-plus hours — is a work of urgency.

The audience cheers various decisions made during the playing of “asses.masses” at UCLA Nimoy Theater.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

And for the audience at the Saturday showing at the UCLA Nimoy Theater, it felt like a call to arms. Citizens executed in the street for exercising their right to free speech? That’s in here. Run-ins with authorities that recall images seen in multiple American cities over the past few months? Also in here, albeit in a retro, pixel art style that may bring to mind the “Final Fantasy” series from its Super Nintendo days.

In a city that’s been ravaged by fires, ICE raids and a series of entertainment industry layoffs, the sold-out crowd of nearly 300 was riled up. Chants of “ass power!” — the donkey’s protest slogan — were heard throughout the day as attendees politely gathered near a single video game controller on a dais to play the game, becoming not just the avatar for the donkeys but a momentary leader for the collective. Cheers would erupt when a young donkey reached the conclusion that “I kinda think the system is rigged against everyone.” And when technological advances, clearly a stand-in for artificial intelligence, were described as “evil, soulless, job-taking, child-killing machines,” there were knowing claps, as if no exaggeration was stated.

“Our theater is supposed to be a rehearsal for life,” says Patrick Blenkarn, who co-created the game with Milton Lim, interdisciplinary artists from Canada who often work with interactive media.

“We grew up in a radical political tradition of theater,” says Patrick Blenkarn, right, who co-created “asses.masses” with Milton Lim.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

“We grew up in a radical political tradition of theater, where this is where we can rehearse emotional experience — catharsis,” Blenkarn says. “That is what art is supposed to be doing. We have been very interested in the idea that if we come together, what are we going to do and how are we going to do it? What we are seeing in your country, and other countries, is the question of how are we going to change our behavior, and will the people who currently have the controller listen? And if they don’t, what do we do?”

Video games are inherently theatrical. Even if one is playing solo on the couch, a video game is a dialogue, a performance between a player and unseen designers. Blenkarn and Lim also spoke in an interview prior to the show of wanting to re-create the sensation of gathering around a television and passing a controller back and forth among family or friends while offering commentary on someone’s play style. Only at scale. And while I thought “asses.masses” could work, too, as a solitary experience at home, its themes of collective action and reaching a group consensus, often through boos or shouts of encouragement, made it particularly well-suited for a performance.

The UCLA Nimoy Theater played host to “asses.masses” this weekend.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Beginning at 1 p.m. and ending shortly after 8 p.m., coincidentally, says Blenkarn, the length or so of a working day, not everyone made it to the “asses.masses” conclusion. About a quarter of the audience — a crowd that was clearly familiar with the multiple video game style represented in “asses.masses” — couldn’t stand the endurance test. But in a time of binge-watching, I didn’t find the length prohibitive. There were multiple intermissions, but those became part of the show as well, as there was no set time limit. Blenkarn and Lim were asking the audience, via a prompt on the screen, to jointly agree upon a length, emphasizing, once again, the importance of collective cooperation.

And “asses.masses” holds interest because it, in part, embraces the animated absurdity and inherent experimentation of the medium. While often in a retro pixel art style, at times the game shifted into a more modern open-world look. And the story veers down multiple paths and side-quests — some requiring wild coordination such as a rhythm game meant to simulate donkey sex, and others more tense, such as “Metal Gear”-like sneaking, complete with the donkeys hiding in cardboard boxes.

Audiences vote, often by cheering or booing, on choices in “asses.masses.”

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The way “asses.masses” shifted tones and tenor recalled a game such as “Kentucky Route Zero,” another serialized and alternately realistic and fanciful game with political overtones. Other times, such as the surreal world of the donkey afterlife, I thought of the colorfully unpredictable universe of the music-focused game “The Artful Escape,” a quest for personal identity and self-actualization. The donkeys in “asses.masses” are an ensemble, often trying to steer the audience in different directions. As much as some push for a protest as a way for communal healing and progressive action, others take a cynical outlook, viewing that path as “intellectually compromised” by a “commitment to past ideals.”

The goal, says Lim, is to create a sort of game within a game — one that’s being played with a controller and one of debate among a crowd. “It’s not about having a billion endings,” Lim says. “We understand it’s a theater show, and we as writers have objectives for what we want it to go towards. But the decisions people make in the room really matter. The game is half in the room and half on the screen.”

The audience, for instance, can play a role in keeping certain donkeys alive. Or what jobs a group of renegade donkeys may choose. Our audience voted for the donkeys to enter the circus, at least until they were deemed obsolete and sent to detention centers, which felt uncomfortably of the moment. Such topicality is what drew Edgar Miramontes, leader of CAP UCLA, to the show, despite his admittance to being largely unfamiliar with the world of video games.

“It doesn’t shy away from the nuances of when organizing happens and what we’re seeing in our world right now,” Miramontes says. “There are instances in which a donkey may die because, in organizing to achieve their goals, these things happen. We have seen this in our Civil Rights Movement and other movements and the current movement that’s happening right now around ICE.”

The Nimoy event, part of UCLA’s current Center for the Art of Performance season, was the 50th time “asses.masses” had been performed. The show will continue to tour, with a performance in Boston set for this upcoming weekend and it will reach Chicago later this year. Our donkeys on Saturday didn’t solve all the world’s inequalities, but they did live full lives, attending raves, engaging in casual sex and even playing video games.

A player celebrates during “asses.masses,” live action theatrical video game.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The show is an argument that progress isn’t always linear, but community is constant. As one of the donkeys says at one point, “If you aren’t doing something that brings you joy, do something different.”

“In case anyone is like, ‘I don’t want to be lectured at,’ or I don’t want to do all this work, it feels like you’re just having fun with friends,” Lim says. “Maybe revolution doesn’t always look like just this. Maybe it’s also this.”

And like many a video game, maybe it’s a chance to live out some fantasies. “We do beat up riot cops in the game,” Blenkarn says, “in case anyone is hoping for that opportunity.”

Now that the 2026 Oscar nominations are out, it’s officially binge watch o’clock.

Chances are you caught a few of the contenders upon their 2025 movie theater openings, but with the onslaught of new releases in the weeks leading up to Thursday’s nominations announcement, even some voters are surely behind. (Don’t tell the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences).

The good news is, the lion’s share of nominated films are available to stream or see in theaters (or both).

Here is a guide to where you can find all the feature-length nominees ahead of the Academy Awards on March 15, paired with some commentary from Times critics.

“The Alabama Solution”

Where to watch: HBO Max
Nominated for: Documentary feature
What we said: “Much of ‘The Alabama Solution,’ which reports on inhumane living conditions, forced labor and widespread violence against the state’s incarcerated population, is comprised largely of footage captured by inmates using contraband cellphones, offering one of the most shocking, visceral depictions of our carceral state ever put to film.”

“Arco”

Where to watch: In theaters
Nominated for: Animated feature
What we said: “The most impressive part of French animated sci-fi epic ‘Arco,’ which took the top prize at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, is its imaginative world-building.”

“Avatar: Fire and Ash”

Where to watch: In theaters
Nominated for: Costume design, visual effects
What we said: “Viewed in ultra-crisp high frame rate, ‘Fire and Ash’ feels so overwhelmingly real that it circles back around to surreal.”

“Blue Moon”

Where to watch: Apple TV, Prime Video, Fandango at Home, in theaters
Nominated for: Lead actor, original screenplay
What we said: “[Richard] Linklater’s movies have frequently featured affable underdogs, but by contrast, ‘Blue Moon’ is an elegy to a bitter, insecure man whose view of himself as a failure has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

“Bugonia”

Where to watch: Peacock
Nominated for: Best picture, lead actress, adapted screenplay, original score
What we said: “‘Bugonia’ is a hilarious movie with no hope for the future of humanity. What optimism there is lies only in the title, an ancient Greek word for the science of transforming dead cows into hives, of turning death into life.”

“Come See Me in the Good Light”

Where to watch: Apple TV
Nominated for: Documentary feature
What we said: “‘Throughout the Festival, we saw audiences moved by Andrea Gibson’s and Megan Falley’s journeys in ‘Come See Me in the Good Light,’’ Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming Kim Yutani said to the fest’s website. ‘Festival goers embraced the humor and heartbreak of this intimate documentary directed by Ryan White, as it speaks to art and love and reminds us what it means to be alive as we face mortality.’”

“Cutting Through Rocks”

Where to watch: Not currently available
Nominated for: Documentary feature

“Diane Warren: Relentless”

Where to watch: YouTube, Prime Video, Fandango at Home, Google Play, Apple TV
Nominated for: Original song

“Elio”

Where to watch: Disney+
Nominated for: Animated feature
What we said: “‘Elio’ is a breezy Pixar adventure, the studio’s pivot back to making original, rip-roaring children’s yarns.”

“F1”

Where to watch: Apple TV
Nominated for: Best picture, editing, sound, visual effects
What we said: “The pleasures of ‘F1’ are engineered to bypass the brain. It’s muscular and thrilling and zippy, even though at over two and a half hours long, it has a toy dump truck’s worth of plot.”

“Frankenstein”

Where to watch: Netflix, in theaters
Nominated for: Best picture, supporting actor, adapted screenplay, cinematography, costume design, makeup & hairstyling, original score, production design, sound
What we said: “‘Frankenstein’ is [Guillermo del Toro’s] lifelong passion project: He doesn’t just want to make a ‘Frankenstein’ but the ‘Frankenstein,’ so he’s faithfully set his adaptation in the past. But he’s adjusted the wiring so that 1850s Europe reminds us of Silicon Valley. The result is the best movie of his career.”

“Hamnet”

Where to watch: In theaters
Nominated for: Best picture, director, lead actress, adapted screenplay, casting, costume design, original score, production design
What we said: “The film’s depiction of grief has rightly been at the center of the conversation around ‘Hamnet,’ with their revelatory performances resulting in immense Oscar buzz for both actors. But [Paul] Mescal and [Jessie] Buckley were almost more interested in the relationship between William and Agnes and how artists navigate the trappings of conventional life.”

“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”

Where to watch: YouTube, Prime Video, Fandango at Home, Google Play, Apple TV, in theaters
Nominated for: Lead actress
What we said: “From the moment it begins, Mary Bronstein’s ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ aims to put you inside the head of a mother in crisis, and for the next couple of hours it does so in such an exhausting, claustrophobic, anxiety-inducing manner that, as you take a journey on this cinematic endurance test, you feel many things: grudging admiration, abject terror and, finally, sweet relief when the closing credits roll.”

“It Was Just an Accident”

Where to watch: YouTube, Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, Fandango at Home, in theaters
Nominated for: International feature, original screenplay
What we said: “In a movie full of heightened emotions and anxious uncertainty, ‘It Was Just an Accident’ (which is France’s entry for the international film Oscar) glides between genres, too slippery to be nailed down. [Jafar] Panahi dabbles in the road movie, the revenge thriller, even the ‘getting the band back together’ comedy.”

“Jurassic World Rebirth”

Where to watch: Peacock
Nominated for: Visual effects
What we said: “‘Rebirth’ is a confounding title for a downbeat entry that’s mostly preoccupied by death and neglect.”

“Kokuho”

Where to watch: In theaters (Feb. 5)
Nominated for: Makeup & hairstyling

“KPop Demon Hunters”

Where to watch: Netflix
Nominated for: Animated feature, original song
What we said: “‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ the cartoon musical about a girl group using catchy tunes to keep evil at bay, has become a viral phenomenon since it launched on the streamer June 20. With 210 million views globally so far, it’s the most watched animated movie ever on Netflix, and is expected to soon top ‘Red Notice’ as the company’s most popular film.”

“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain”

Where to watch: YouTube, Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, Fandango at Home
Nominated for: Animated feature
What we said: “Amélie’s rowdy approach becomes more nuanced when she is confronted with a loved one’s death, as well as her own mortality in the aftermath of two accidents. [Liane-Cho] Han and [Maïlys] Vallade also make room for her realizations about life’s unfairness and the inevitability of sorrow — all communicated via flights of fancy that only animation can materialize.”

“The Lost Bus”

Where to watch: Apple TV
Nominated for: Visual effects
What we said: “This time [director Paul Greengrass] mixes star heroism with you-are-there spectacle and the results can be galvanizing if awkwardly framed.”

“Marty Supreme”

Where to watch: In theaters
Nominated for: Best picture, director, lead actor, casting, cinematography, costume design, editing, production design, original screenplay
What we said: “The movie’s moxie makes it impossible not to get caught up in Marty’s crusade. We’re giddy even when he’s miserable.”

“Mr. Nobody Against Putin”

Where to watch: Apple TV
Nominated for: Documentary feature

“One Battle After Another”

Where to watch: HBO Max, in theaters
Nominated for: Best picture, director, lead actor, supporting actor, supporting actress, adapted screenplay, casting, cinematography, editing, sound, original score, production design
What we said: “Paul Thomas Anderson’s fun and fizzy adaptation views its Molotov cocktail as half-full. Yes, it says, the struggle for liberation continues: ideologues versus toadies, radicals versus conservatives, loyalists versus rats. But isn’t it inspiring that there are still people willing to fight?”

“The Perfect Neighbor”

Where to watch: Netflix
Nominated for: Documentary feature
What we said: “‘The Perfect Neighbor’ does leave us with a patiently earned moment of justice. But it’s haunted by the notion that a lethal rage prevailed, that a crime was allowed to happen and an ordinary, trusting American neighborhood — where a loving mom unhesitatingly tells an inquiring cop, ‘All these kids are mine’ — isn’t protectable ground.”

“The Secret Agent”

Where to watch: In theaters
Nominated for: Best picture, international feature, lead actor, casting
What we said: “‘The Secret Agent’ isn’t tightly coiled so much as it gradually unfolds, its full meaning unclear until the filmmaker eventually hurtles forward nearly 50 years, snapping the final puzzle piece into place.”

“Sentimental Value”

Where to watch: Fandango at Home, YouTube, Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, in theaters
Nominated for: Best picture, director, lead actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, editing, international feature, original screenplay
What we said: “‘Sentimental Value’ is a movie for people who don’t like to cry, who may not admit that they have ever cried, who listen to Loudon Wainwright’s song ‘The Man Who Couldn’t Cry’ and say, ‘Yes, that’s me!’”

“Sinners”

Where to watch: HBO Max, in theaters
Nominated for: Best picture, director, lead actor, supporting actor, supporting actress, casting, cinematography, costume design, editing, makeup & hairstyling, original score, original song, production design, sound, visual effects, original screenplay
What we said: “What a blood rush to exit Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ aware that you’ve seen not merely a great movie but an eternal movie, one that will transcend today’s box office and tomorrow’s awards to live on as a forever favorite.”

“Sirāt”

Where to watch: Not currently available
Nominated for: International feature, sound
What we said: “‘Sirāt’ is taut and riveting and nearly all mood. You feel the exhilaration of veering off the path, the self-exile of speeding toward nowhere, the dread that this caravan has veered too far for its own safety.”

“The Smashing Machine”

Where to watch: YouTube, Prime Video, Fandango at Home, Google Play, Apple TV
Nominated for: Makeup & hairstyling
What we said: “While ‘The Smashing Machine’ represents a step in a new direction for [Dwayne] Johnson, it also finds [Benny] Safdie setting off on a new path as a writer and director on his own after years of collaborations with his brother. Sifting through the emotional and physical struggles of [Mark] Kerr’s life, Safdie found something at its core that aligns with his own ongoing interest in what it takes to move forward despite life’s difficulties. It’s not about being a loser, he thinks, but it is about not winning.”

“Song Sung Blue”

Where to watch: In theaters, YouTube, Apple TV, Google Play, Fandango at Home
Nominated for: Lead actress
What we said: “‘Song Sung Blue’ couldn’t be less cool. But the Sardinas were completely sincere and [Hugh] Jackman and [Kate] Hudson honor their innocence by playing them straight.”

“Train Dreams”

Where to watch: Netflix, in theaters
Nominated for: Best picture, adapted screenplay, cinematography, original song
What we said: “‘Train Dreams’ is the kind of movie that people often say they want more of, but when one actually comes along they don’t quite know what to do with it. Told with an unassuming, gentle simplicity that grows into an accumulating emotional power, the film manages to feel very small and specific while also vast and expansive.”

“The Ugly Stepsister”

Where to watch: Hulu
Nominated for: Makeup & hairstyling

“Viva Verdi!”

Where to watch: Not currently available
Nominated for: Original song

“The Voice of Hind Rajab”

Where to watch: In theaters
Nominated for: International feature
What we said: “The movie is a powerfully blunt instrument of empathy. [Kaouther] Ben Hania’s insistence on close-up melodramatics — faces in anguish, a handheld camera glued to them — sometimes overshadows a thirst for something more analytical. But it’s decidedly a vision, one steeped in roiling pain.”

“Weapons”

Where to watch: HBO Max
Nominated for: Supporting actress
What we said: “A former sketch comic, [Zach] Cregger knows how to work a crowd. The combination of his assurance and his characters’ confusion is wonderful in the moment, as though you’re listening to a spiel from someone who sounds crazy but might be making all the sense in the world.”

“Zootopia 2”

Where to watch: In theaters, YouTube
Nominated for: Animated feature
What we said: “After several haphazard attempts with the ‘Frozen’ and ‘Moana’ franchises, ‘Zootopia 2’ can take the title as Disney’s most effective animated sequel yet.”

Kristen Stewart fears the death of classic Hollywood cinema.

As the actor-turned-director drove through the streets of Los Angeles and saw beloved local theaters replaced by major retail chains, she decided to help save theatergoing in the city that started it all.

So she bought a historic movie theater in L.A.

Stewart purchased and is restoring the Highland Theatre, a cultural landmark that once hosted vaudeville acts.

“When people are desperate, they start doing desperate things,” Stewart said in an interview with Architectural Digest. “I think buying this theater feels a little desperate in like the most beautiful way.”

The theater shut its doors nearly two years ago — less than a week short of its 100th anniversary. The owner, Dan Akarakian, told The Times in 2024 that the theater was unable to recover economically from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Everything that’s already living here is so beautiful. It just needs to be like taken care of,” Stewart said. “I mean, the place is falling down. We definitely need like a lot of help, but it’s worth it.”

The local film and TV industries in L.A. were struggling long before wildfires that ravaged the city early last year dealt another blow, halting production and threatening the homes of stars and crews alike.

Stewart, who first achieved international success with her role as Bella Swan in the “Twilight” saga, said movie theatergoing is becoming a lost art, as “people are watching movies on their tablets and their TVs and likely watching a couple of things at once.” She and her peers struggled to get movies off the ground.

Stewart hopes the theater can become “a space that families can go and that also filmmakers can go and so we can kind of be in service of each other,” she said. “We can be in actual communication with people and not cut off from each other.”

The three-story building has theater rooms and venue space, ideal to host screenings and public community events, she said.

The theater was designed by architect Lewis Arthur Smith, known for other local theaters like the Vista in Los Feliz and El Portal in North Hollywood.

“It’s an opportunity to make a space to gather and scheme and dream together,” Stewart told AD. “This project is about creating a new school and restructuring our processes, finding a better way forward.”

Stewart’s effort to save local cinema comes on the heels of a coalition of filmmakers, led by “Juno” director Jason Reitman, purchasing the 93-year-old Village Theater in Westwood in 2024.

Oscar-winning writer-director Quentin Tarantino bought the Vista, also designed by Smith, in 2021. The theater reopened its doors over two years later.

Stewart, who was raised in the San Fernando Valley, has been a longstanding advocate of the L.A. community. She works closely with the Downtown Women’s Center, which provides housing to homeless women.

The actor decried the lack of stories by and for women in Hollywood during her keynote speech at the annual Academy Women’s Luncheon in November.

“I absolutely f— love this city,” she said. “I like the spaciousness. You can decide how you want to fill it.”