HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA-- What a dazzling night it was at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

The evening sparkled with the glitz and glamour that make the Oscars Hollywood's biggest celebration, while host Conan O'Brien kept the crowd laughing with his signature off-beat humor.

There were heartfelt moments as well, including Billy Crystal's touching remembrance of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner and a moving tribute to Robert Redford presented by Barbra Streisand.

The ceremony also delivered memorable musical moments. There was the standout performance by Miles Canton ("I Lied to You") and blues legend Buddy Guy, Raphael Saadiq, Brittany Howard, Shaboozey, guitarist Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, and ballerina Misty Copeland showcasing the juke-setting from the sensational movie "Sinners," along with an electrifying K-pop group performance of "Golden" that brought fresh global energy to the stage.

The Oscars balanced reverence for Hollywood's past with excitement for its future, reminding viewers why the Academy Awards remain the film industry's most anticipated night.

It was also an evening of four major wins for "Sinners." Ryan Coogler struck Oscar gold for "Best Original Screenplay" for his blues-soaked horror drama. Michael B. Jordan walked away with the "Best Actor Oscar"--his first-- for his performance in the film, while Ludwig Goransson earned the statue for "Best Original Score."

History was also made when Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman ever to win the Oscar for "Best Cinematography." Arkapaw's speech during the ceremony was riveting, and she was equally moved by the love and support shown in the press room as she reflected on her groundbreaking achievement.

"Sinners" garnered a record 16 nominations and ultimately took home four Oscars, though it narrowly missed the night's biggest prize. "One Battle After Another" claimed "Best Picture," with Paul Thomas Anderson also winning "Best Director" for the film.

N2Entertainment.net attended the 98th Academy Awards and was in the press room as the night's winners were presented to discuss their monumental victories. Here is what some of the biggest winners of the 98th Annual Academy Awards had to say.

MICHAEL B. JORDAN ("Best Actor"--"Sinners")

Q: Hi and congratulations Michael. I watched the film again last night before I came today. What kind of mental exercises did it take for you to create the nuances of the different personalities of these two characters?

A: That's a great question. I write a lot of journals, so for my character's backstories, I try to go from the earliest memory
that I can conjure up and think of and I write all the way up to the page, the first page of the script. So at least it gives me an opportunity to figure out where they're coming from and that informs a lot of the decisions. But this, these particular characters I did a lot of work on their childhood trauma and to differentiate the two of them. Smoke is a bit more, he's quiet. He's a protector and Stack is a little bit more light and buoyant, and a little bit of a slick talker and a troublemaker. So I try to just establish different perspectives. They have an outstanding relationship for their entire lives. So just imagine you being in a partnership for like 30-something years. How many times they would argue, how many times they would keep score on who's right and who's wrong. All these things I kinda just started to build up and so they can have a history between each other. And those are the things that hopefully came to light in between the lines, those nuances between the two. And yeah there's some other things that it's probably boring that you guys don't want to hear about but that's a little bit of the work.

Q: Michael you make us proud.
A: Thank you.
Q: Nathan Hale Williams, a fellow screenwriter recently said in a video on Instagram "Please stop telling black people not to desire Oscars." As someone who just won tonight what does this recognition mean to you and to other writers coming up?"

A: It feels timely. I feel like I'm here because of the people that came before me. Sidney (Poitier), Denzel (Washington), Halle Berry, and Forest (Whitaker). All those actors who who grace the stage and not looking for awards and not looking for acknowledgement. They're artists, they want to do the work. And that's something I've always focused on was trying to do the work. My father always told me "Don't expect anything to be handed to you." Do the work and everything else is going to figure itself out. And there is a a selfishness in understanding that in your craft and in your industry. This is a pinnacle and this is what our industry standard is. This is what we put value on in a big way. That competitiveness. You do want that, But at the same time there's a what's for you is for you And you can't take anybody's blessings away from anybody else. So I'm just walking my path and just trying to be locked in. So I would encourage other actors and other artists no matter what their medium is, to try to keep that in mind and be honest and truthful. Dream big. Dream big and be kind and be honest. I'm really big on pouring into the universe and the universe is going to pour back into you. And that's how I try to live. Yeah.

Q: Hi there Michael, congratulations. The amount of support you get is unreal What does it mean to you to have so many people in your corner wanting to see you win?

A: It feels great. It feels like I've been extremely blessed in my life. It's like when you know people are trying, are invested in you. I've been doing this for 25 years and there's a lot of people who've seen me grow up in this industry and grow up in this town. And they looked out for me when they didn't have to. They wanted me to do well when they didn't have to. That goodwill, those guides from the assistants that are responding to my email to whoever's opening the door for me to go inside to whatever office, to the producers who were taking general meetings with me over the years, everybody. I've always felt like people had a genuine support for me. And it,
it makes me want to make people that you care about proud. My parents, Ryan (Coogler), my other collaborators, myself, and also the kids that are coming up. I'm really big on on the next generation. So trying to be an example. I'm not a big talker, I'm about that action. So, I like to lead by example.

RYAN COOGLER ("Best Original Screenplay"--"Sinners")

Moderator: Please welcome winner for "Original Screenplay" for "Sinners," Ryan Coogler.
A: Thanks, you guys. Thank you.
Q: Congratulations.

Q:Watching you and Michael B. Jordan over the years is greatness, like Phil Jackson and Kobe. At what point did you conceptually envision Michael, you know, playing those two roles as you were writing this incredible film, "Sinners"?

A: It was from the beginning. As soon as I imagined what those two characters were going to be I knew I had to. I had to call Mike. I waited a little bit, though. He ended up calling me before I got to him and asking me if I would be interested in something he was working on independently, and I told him it wasn't the right time. Then he got a little upset. So then I had to tell him about this movie earlier than I wanted to. Thankfully, he said yes. I wanted to get the script nice and tight for him before, but he jumped the gun a little bit, so I had to jump it back.

Q: Always good to see you. Congratulations. I'm so elated to be on this journey with you. You've dedicated "Sinners" to your late uncle James, who introduced you to the blues. How does it feel to see a story rooted in your personal family history win this prestigious award tonight?

A: To be honest, I'm incredibly grateful that people engaged with it at the theater. That was always something that I thought about. You realize that with writing what matters to you oftentimes matters to other people if you can communicate the feelings the right way. So I'm honored, man. I haven't talked about my uncle James enough tonight. He meant the world to me. I actually realized that he was the closest thing I had to a grandfather. Basically, tonight while I was putting it in context and thinking about my parents they both lost their fathers within a couple of weeks of each other right after they got married. So I never met my grandfathers. So my uncle James, he kinda was that for me. He was the closest thing to that. I'm so proud that he gave me the gift of his stories about Mississippi, that he played blues music for me and talked to me about it. He continues to give me gifts from where he is now.

Q: We're so proud of you. I would love to talk about the idea that "Sinners" is being taught as curriculum. And, as you think of especially because you're a history buff and an education buff, what would you want to be taught about "Sinners" as a whole if we're looking at it as a class?

A: I'll be honest with you, I'm not smart enough to teach college, you know. I think that, I have so much respect for professors in any capacity. You know, I got young kids and I watch their teachers, and I'm just fascinated by how they can get anything done. And I'm standing here in front of you guys because an English professor a creative writing professor at Saint Mary's College named Rosemary Graham read something that I wrote. It was the first assignment when I was 17 years old my freshman year. She read something I wrote and said "I think you should go to Hollywood and write screenplays."Literally said that to me. So I got nothing but the utmost respect for anybody who's dedicating their life towards the future generations and making sure they minds are solid. I'll leave it in their hands if they ever want to take my film and teach a class on it. Man, God bless them. I think they'll know how to do it best. Thank you Bye-bye, y'all.

AUTUMN DURALD ARKAPAW ("Best Cinematography"--"Sinners")

Moderator: Please welcome our winner for cinematography for "Sinners" Autumn Durald Arkapaw.
Q: (Autumn Durald Arkapaw). Hello. I feel like I'm at Sotheby's. What's going on? (Laughter).

Q: You were the first woman of color nominated in this category and you were also the first woman to win. Now, in this very much so male-dominated category, what do you hope your win does
to open the doors for representation for females for cinematography? And how do you hope this changes people's perspective?

A: It's tricky because when you go up there you have so much to say. So I tried to just have it all in my head. But one thing I was going to say that I had written down was that a lot of little girls that look like me will sleep really well tonight because they'll want to become cinematographers.
And I know that. So I think that just being on stage getting this award for a movie like that will change so many girls' lives because they'll be inspired
when they weren't before.

Q: Congratulations. For young filmmakers especially women who are watching this moment tonight, what do you hope your journey shows them is possible?

A: Ryan (Coogler) gives us the women on this film that are heads of department, he gives us those opportunities to shine and be ourselves, and work in a creative environment where we're leading, we're strong. We have power. He trusts us. And that's a very important thing, and it doesn't happen very often. So, he's opened those doors. I'm very good friends with Rachel Morrison, and she recommended me when she was unavailable. I knew that if this was going to happen, it was going to happen with someone like him.

Q: There were so many standing up for you today in that room. What was that like to be up on stage and see that?

A: I think I just wanted to say thank you to all the women in the room, because moments like this don't happen without women, kind of standing up for you and advocating for you. I know that this happened because of that, so I wanted to say thank you, because I don't know a lot of the voters. I've learned over the past few months going through this process that it does take a village to make stuff like this happen. But this isn't about me anymore. This is about so much more. And I know that. I wanted it for all the ladies in the room, and I wanted it for all the girls at home. So, it happened, and I'm so happy for that because I want to give that to them.

LUDWIG GORANSSON ("Best Original Score"--"Sinners")

Q: What do you think this award will mean for future Swedish music creators?

A: I think it's going to mean a lot for kids that grow up. I think for a long time, this movie is going to be around. I remember being a kid and watching music movies. There's not a lot of them. Not a lot of good ones. But, a movie of this stature, about music, I think it's going to be inspiring for a lot of kids for a lot of generations.

Q.: This is your third Academy Award, and you've had a quite successful award season. So how do you wrap it up and celebrate?

A: Well, my dad is here, my mom, my sister, all from Sweden. They came. This is probably, as I said in my speech earlier, one of my most personal films. Because my dad was a guitar player. He became a blues fanatic listening to blues. Even though he lived on the other side of the world, he heard the blues music in the 1960s and that changed his life. He wanted to become a blues man, even though he'd never been to the States, and could not relate to what was happening over here. But the music was so powerful. That happened to a lot of teenagers in Europe in the 1950s and 1960s. The power of the blues music. Me growing up, when I was about eight years old I heard Metallica. That became my identity. At that time, I didn't think about, without blues, there wouldn't be any Metallica. Without blues none of the music that we heard tonight wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the blues. So, the score is kinda my personal journey of going back to what my dad was playing me as a kid. How I celebrate? I'm going to celebrate with my family. My family from Sweden and also with my family from "Sinners." I've been working with Ryan for 16 years. Michael B. Jordan and I have done five movies together. We're growing into this. Being around each other for this long amount of time is very special.

Q: I was wondering about your dad listening to the blues music in the 60s. Where was he hearing this?

A: He bought the albums in the local record store in Linkoping, Sweden. So, he bought John Lee Hooker. He was also hearing it live because a lot of the blues artists were not allowed to play in America for the white establishments. So what they were doing, they were actually coming to Europe. Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, these guys, they heard the blues musicians and they inspired them to write music. So they brought them over to Europe. When these blues musicians like Howlin' Wolf and Buddy Guy played in Europe, finally, after they played in Europe, then in the States they were allowed to come back and play in American venues. And a funny story is that my dad... Albert King was his favorite guitar player. So my dad actually fought really hard to name me Albert, after Albert King. But my mom won, and it was Ludwig, actually. (Lots of laughter)

MIKE HILL, JORDAN SAMUEL AND CLIONA FUREY ("Best Makeup and Hairstyling"--"Frankenstein")

Q: First of all congratulations.
A: (Mike Hill). Thank you.
Q: Working on a film like "Frankenstein" requires a very specific vision for makeup for hair and how did collaborating with Guillermo del Toro influence your creative choices and help bring his unique aesthetic to life?

A: (Jordan Samuel) Well, I mean, we've all had the privilege of working with Guillermo on many, many projects.
So if I can actually give Cliona (Furey) the credit. She said recently in an interview that everything we've done with him up until now led to this point. This movie could not have happened
when it happened. It just couldn't. It was it was almost a dress rehearsal for this to happen. He's just so clear and concise in what he wants. And we can almost second-guess him and it was just a privilege to be a part of it and
to see his dream come true.

Q: First, I just want to say congratulations. I love "Frankenstein." So congrats on this amazing win. "Frankenstein" has been done many many times. So I'm curious, how did you come up with a creative makeup design and were there any challenges with that along the way?

A: (Mike Hill) For the creature yeah, you basically just had to start afresh and, you know don't look at any past interpretations. Also don't care if there's an overlap. You know, this creature's been around for hundreds of years now. So it was basically, make him look like he stepped out of the 1800s. Victor Frankenstein was not making an old Volkswagen. He was making a Porsche. So your monster can be, doesn't have to be ugly, it just has to be different and that's what we tried to do. Plus he had to also not look like an accident victim. He had to look like this thing had been precisely made and that's why we designed geometric shapes, etc.

Q: Can you talk about how Guillermo del Toro challenged you on this project?

A: (Cliona Furey) For me as hair designer he's pushed me further every single movie. I think I've been with him fifteen years and maybe eight projects or more and he has pushed me further every show and I think he knows more what I'm capable of than I do.

A: (Mike Hill) Well, Guillermo himself was a makeup artist when he first started out. So he's kind of very knowledgeable about this stuff which makes him dangerous. You can't pull the wool over his eyes because he's an incredible artist himself. He's just the best. He makes you a better artist and that's what he strives for. He wants the artist to be at the forefront.

Editor's Note: Check out the "Reel Movie News" section for the backstage interviews with "Best Director" Paul Thomas Anderson ("One Battle After Another") and Kate Hawley who won the Oscar for "Best Costume" ("Frankenstein").