Why Frances McDormand howled like a wolf during Oscars 2021 acceptance speech for Nomadland

By Ben Abrams x The Big Magazine

LOS ANGELES --63-year-old Actress Frances McDormand surprised Oscar viewers as she howled like a wolf onstage in closing of her "Nomadland" best picture acceptance speech Sunday night.

LOS ANGELES --63-year-old Actress Frances McDormand surprised Oscar viewers as she howled like a wolf onstage in closing of her "Nomadland" best picture acceptance speech Sunday night.

“We give this one to our wolf,” 63-year-old McDormand — who also won Best Actress for her role in the film — said, before belting out a howl on stage.

Who is the Wolf, and why did she do it? The gesture served as a tribute to Michael Wolf Snyder, a sound mixer on the film who took his life at age 35. He was found in early March by his father, who said his son had suffered from depression for years. Snyder appeared in the show's sped up In Memoriam segment.

McDormand, who was also awarded best actress, also encouraged audience members to return to the movie theaters to support the industry.

"Nomadland" debuted digitally on Hulu and released by the Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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