Neilson Barnard/Getty ImagesEarlier this month, the Motion Picture Academy released its shortlists of the movies and music that will compete for the Oscar in nine categories, including Best Original Song. While many predicted Taylor Swift's "Only the Young," from the documentary Miss Americana, would be included, it wasn't. But in a new interview with Vanity Fair, Taylor reveals what it would have meant for her to have been nominated.
In the interview, conducted via email — apparently, prior to the release of the shortlist — Taylor told Vanity Fair that receiving an Oscar nod for "Only the Young" "would mean a great deal to me, especially since [the song] immortalizes such a pivotal moment in my life and our country’s mobilization to move together toward change.”
Taylor's referring to the fact that she wrote the song after being disappointed by the results of the 2018 midterm elections, which marked the first time she'd openly endorsed a candidate. In Miss Americana, we watch her write the song; last year, she allowed its use in a voter-turnout video.
"I didn’t want the defeat and hopelessness I felt for our country’s future to get the best of me. I didn’t want to weep," Taylor tells Vanity Fair. "I wanted to have hope. Writing ‘Only the Young’ helped me push through that moment in my life and gave me the hope to keep fighting for what I believe is right.”
Regarding her Oscar chances, Taylor told Vanity Fair, "I would be incredibly honored to be included. But I am absolutely terrified to go further into the daydream for fear of jinxing it.”
Despite predictions, Miss Americana didn't make the shortlist for Best Documentary Feature, either.
To date, Taylor's received three Best Original Song Golden Globe nominations, so an Oscar nod in the future is certainly plausible.
By Andrea Dresdale
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