The Oscar’s sweetheart Sean Baker took the stage at Lutkin Hall for A&O’s spring speaker event May 20, discussing his career’s highs and lows and sharing advice with students.
At the 2025 Oscars, Baker’s film “Anora” secured five wins out of its six nominations, with four going directly to Baker himself. However, Baker said he never counts on winning an award and only prepares speeches in case “lightning strikes” — though he had a feeling it would when Quentin Tarantino presented the award for Best Director.
“Suddenly for the first time (in) my entire life, I felt very positive,” Baker said. “This is going to happen … because it’s Tarantino. Without ‘Once Upon a Time (in Hollywood),’ I wouldn’t know who Mikey (Madison) was, right?”
Baker cast Madison, who was cast in Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” to star in “Anora” after watching her performance in the 2022 “Scream” remake. While Baker wears many hats in the filmmaking process, he said casting may be his favorite, especially in instances like Madison’s.
The A&O event began with a screening of Baker’s 2017 indie film “The Florida Project.” Following the screening, Baker appeared on stage with a big smile for the Q&A, which was moderated by Communication Prof. Eric Patrick.
Communication sophomore Arjun Shah said the screening allowed the audience to cross reference Baker’s work during the discussion.
“(‘The Florida Project’ is) very topical to our culture on campus, especially between all the non-film students who appreciate the arts, as well as the film curriculum students,” Shah said.
A&O’s Head of Speakers and Medill senior Elena Scott said the committee had its eye on Baker for a while. Scott said the committee aims to bring in speakers who students could learn a lot from and has a “wide definition” of who qualifies.
Early in his career, Baker said he considered giving up. He shared his failed projects with the audience and said the most important thing that filmmakers can have is perseverance.
“If I didn’t have that perseverance, I may have given up after my first film,” he said. “It went absolutely nowhere. I blew $50,000.”
After graduating from New York University, Baker self-funded his first three films. His 2008 indie film, “Prince of Broadway,” was one of his first films and did not succeed as he had hoped. He remembered seeing the film “bomb” in front of his eyes and watching his work go “down the drain.”
Following “Prince of Broadway’s” failure, Baker said he recalled sitting on the corner of Houston Street in New York City, where he “bummed a cigarette.”
“(I) shouldn’t have done that ’cause then I smoked for the next half a year,” Baker said. “Those things happen and will continue to happen in your career. You have to get up and keep going.”
Baker said he is concerned about the threat artificial intelligence poses to creative fields. However, he added that even as early as the ’60s, people were “always fearing that cinema is dead.”
He said people must keep their faith in film.
“It’s going to change,” he said. “Obviously, it’s going to transform. It’s going to evolve. But I think that … we want movies.”
Baker’s advice aimed to connect with aspiring filmmakers hoping to break into the industry.
Scott said the committee focuses on selecting a speaker who is relevant in pop culture at the moment. Baker fit the bill, she said.
“We want to bring people that are speaking and saying something that the students want to hear, but we’re honestly here to make students happy,” Scott said.
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