THE 71st ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS, Sunday, March 21

Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful wins three awards, including Best Actor, the first for a foreign film, Best Foreign Film, and Best Dramatic Score.

Roberto wins Best Actor	Life is Beautiful wins Best Foreign Film	Nicola Piovani wins Best Score for Life is Beautiful
Roberto meets the press backstage Check out the transcripts -->	Benigni: Thank you. Good evening. Q: Roberto, we enjoyed your reaction to winning the award, but on a serious note, what does it mean to you to be only the second performer in a foreign language film ever to win an Oscar? It's only happened once before; that was Sophia Loren. Benigni: Yes, thank you very much for the question. Now, I would like to answer to you, but not so easy to answer immediately to a dream like this. Although dreams are they are reality for artists, you know; it's so real. It's dream, you know. But now I forgot the question. About Sophia Loren. I like Sophia Loren. If it was the first time I saw Sophia Loren? Only the second time in history, you said, somebody meet Sophia Loren? Q: It's only the second time a performer, a foreign language film -- Benigni: Excuse me, I apologize. Thank you. That's naturally -- naturally it's something not to explain. You are asking me to match how can I explain the emotion, you know, and the exuberance? The ocean of joy and of gratitude that I have for this? Really I feel like I don't deserve so much. I couldn't believe it, because when I heard about just when they said about best foreign language movie, I could dance, waltz, or really rock it. But then, second time, best actor was was true that I didn't prepare because neither the first speech I prepare, of course, but you understood this. But the second, especially, I wasn't really and I would like because really people like Tom Hanks and Ian McKellen, really I learn so much from them. Nick Nolte and Ed Norton I respect very, very much. So make me like I don't know now. I would like because the actors, they don't act alone. They need, of course, the director, but also the other actors, or the to be I would like now to have the occasion to like to have the occasion to thank the actors and actors, because actors without the female, the actress, they are like a butterfly without fly. They are worm. So we need in order to fly, I would like really to thank the other actors. They made me fly. Q: Mr. Benigni, over here. Congratulations. Benigni: Thank you so much. Q: We saw how excited you got when your film won the best foreign language film Oscar. What would you have done if your film had also won best picture? How would you top that, do you think? Benigni: No. This was not problem because it was impossible. Best picture was really too much. Now, exciting, but anyway, really when I had the first best foreign language movie, you know, it's true that Benigni movie it's a universal language, but anyway, language are different and sometimes we cannot although when I yesterday when I was at the foreign language meeting I had a really wonderful time, because it was so different way, to watch at the same time, because everybody is looking is looking to reach beauty. So this is the purpose of every artist. We are not scientists looking for the truth, but for beauty, for the pleasure. And so I was really yesterday with the foreign language, I understood this exactly. I won't say the cliche, but it's really the same language, and they are proud because this movie is controversial sometimes. And because there is a prejudice, and it's true that Mr. Einstein said that it is easier to split to disintegrate an atom than a prejudice, and the prejudice about comedian not only comedy, it's something that we need. So I am proud for I finished. Q: We only see we've only been seeing you when you're winning awards, and you get very excited. Do you ever calm down? Benigni: If I calm down? Q: Do you ever calm down? Are you always this excited in every part of your life? Benigni: No. There I was very tranquil, calm. I was relaxed because I knew this and really I was very proud for Italy you don't know what happened in Italy this moment. In this moment it is very late early morning, no? They organize for example, my little village, they are American to be Italian appear on TV, and they close the roads and they stay all night long, wake up, eating salsicha, salami and bread, white pastachuta (phonetic), till 6:00 in the morning. Right now they are still there and, you know, they close the roads, something never happening. Not even for the World Cup of soccer. It's something it's merrymaking, so full of joy. It's an ocean of gladness, of something so special that I have a gratitude for the Italians who did this, for the Italian scene, for Rosalini, Petalucci, and I forgot to thank Rotalili (phonetic) a lot for Rotalili, I am so sorry because I forgot. The radio I like very much. Q: One other question when you climbed over the seats, did you know you were going to do that? Did you plan to do that? Benigni: I knew I was winning for best foreign language, for music -- I knew one week ago -- Q: But did you know you were going to climb over the seats? Benigni: What? Q: Did you plan to climb over the seats like you did? Benigni: No, I just knew mine the other prize, no. No, I didn't prepare. Excuse me. I really don't understand. No, are you crazy they are how can I prepare jump here, jump here. No, I was just I cannot restrain the desire. The exuberance, how can I restrain this? I let my body do what it wants to when there is when you are in love with somebody, how can you organize your body? You let it free, and so -- Q: You've been compared lately to Charlie Chaplin in the past. Can you tell me what has influenced -- Benigni: Oh, ciao. Q: Can you tell us what influence Chaplin has had on your comedy and how any other comedians influence you? Benigni: Of course Chaplin, but Chaplin we are talking about the moon influencing me because Chaplin is something that belongs to the nature; it's a treasure. It's like Michaelangelo for me, so Chaplin was it remind us that yesterday I said during the foreign language conference that if you look at the Charlie Chaplin which was looking to him, not only because he was able to mix to laugh and to cry, which is so close to God, but also because we are talking also about tragedy, about the myth, the arrow is the epics, et cetera, et cetera. And Charlie Chaplin a lot of his movies he's using this part of the body, the lower part. How do you call this buttocks. Use buttocks, and he is reminding us to his debt we are very high and close to God, but also that we have to have body is what come with the laughs. It's the highest part of the comedy, and Charlie Chaplin remind us that we are really very close to God, but we are also human beings, very funny and sometimes very ridiculous. It's very, very important, because Napoleon Bonaparte, when some general came to him telling to him some bad news, he was telling to him, "Please, sit down." When the general was sitting down, he comes down, he was sitting with the spears and he was making some funny things and Napoleon was laughing. And so the tragedy was out, and was remind us we are funny being and sometimes ridicule. We don't have to take us too seriously. And Chaplin is the man who did this really marvelous, magnificent. And Michaelangelo, it's something that I I don't have word to thank how much I because the emotion I had when I saw Chaplin first time I was like to watch a giraffe, like a giraffe, a mystery of nature. And to say there I could stay to watch a giraffe and to understand what is this? For what? That's why I like Chaplin, and that's why I like also, of course, Toto and Italy Philipo or Fellini. And the comedian Italiana, naturally, or Buliyel (phonetic), Leses Toto or Wodox (phonetic) to continue for years. Thank you. Q: (Question in Italian.) You are an entertainer also. What is your opinion about the show, and do you think that the Oscar will change something in your life and where in the future do you put the Oscar in your home? Benigni: Finally an Italian accent. Thank you for the question. I like the show, because I don't want to change anything. Let the show do what it did, because it did three Oscar to me. The show is very good. I don't want to change any words. The show Whoopi Goldberg was really wonderful. I like her very much, they prepare it. And about if it change my life, change, I think that change is good, because the happiness when somebody make a man happy, this is worthwhile than 100 years of glory in history. This is very important, and that's why I'm glad to return this love this immense generosity. But in my life, yes, it has changed because also changes when you are late to a meeting, you can imagine that to receive three Oscars change a lot. But in making movies I think I would follow the same, my same style, because now I would be glad to prepare the same little movies, because when you remain little, you can watch magnificence of the creation. I like to follow the same things I did. I don't think change in this way, but change in the wonderfulness of this happiness, this is irrepeatable. And that's where I put the Oscar, I don't really know. I never I didn't plan anything about where to put it, and I like the question. Thank you. I will think about it. Q: Mr. Benigni, what's going to be your next film? Any idea? Benigni: My next film, if I have an idea? I like really this question because it's the easiest. I don't know. I don't have really an idea how to but I feel like to make something very funny and dramatic and human. This is it's not so -- simple story, simple story, the simplicity I like of the story. I would like to follow what anyway, I don't know. When you need me, I am really very happy. Thank you for your generosity again. Q: The Pope now (inaudible) -- Benigni: The Pope? Q: Do you think you'll hear from him? Benigni: The Pope no, I don't know if I have time to talk with the Pope.