So what do you have planned?
Of course, the show is about all the talented people that are being celebrated that night. But I thought it could be fun to pay tribute to the beginnings of indie film and highlight some of the heroes of mine. It would be nice to remind people that we are the room of artists, that these are the people that have made some really insane movies and inspired all the weirdos of the filmmaking community to experiment and do some really amazing things. To highlight the films and the people who don’t really get the attention. Reclaim the punk-rock art vibe of it all.
Is there such a thing as hosting fright?
Of course, I’m terrified, every day. It’s an opportunity for me to humiliate myself on live television. Like, who knows what will happen? But that’s what’s exhilarating about it to me.
Any favorite nominees?
I’m very excited that Richard E. Grant is nominated, and it’s so great that he’s getting all the love that I think he deserves. I love that we have some amazing female directors that were nominated. I do not think that that’s the case with the Oscars. But [Debra Granik’s] “Leave No Trace” was an incredible movie, and Josephine Decker’s [“Madeline’s Madeline,” whose cinematographer, Ashley Connor, and lead actress, Helena Howard, have been nominated] is getting some attention, which I think is really amazing.
The Oscars are going hostless this year. Your thoughts?
I think it’s kind of sad. I mean, Billy Crystal hosted eight times when I was in my prime having Oscar parties as a dorky teenager, and he did that kind of classic thing that I have such a nostalgia for. I think it’s helpful for the audience to have that person lead you through the ceremony — someone you feel like you’re in good hands with — and to say the thing that you can’t say but you’re all thinking. And when you don’t have one then it feels very like you’re watching a machine.
Would you ever host the Oscars if they asked?
Like, 100 percent. I would do it in a heartbeat. Why not? And at least they have the capability to put me on a harness and fly me in, like they used to do to Whoopi Goldberg. They can’t do that at the Spirit Awards. That was the first question I asked, and they were like, “No, we’re in a tent on the beach.” I’m just going to wash up on shore from the water, in rags.
Shifting gears for a moment, you have any Valentine’s Day plans?
Well, actually, my Valentine’s Day is going to be spent with Conan O’Brien. I’m going to have to see if he gets me a card this year, which he never does. He always forgets.
