Why Oscars Winner Sinners Used Code Name "Grilled Cheese" When Filming

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Sinners was a delicious job for the cast and crew.

That is partly why the Ryan Coogler movie was called “Grilled Cheese” behind the scenes before it went on to win four trophies at the 2026 Oscars, including Michael B. Jordan’s emotional win for Best Lead Actor.

“With ‘Grilled Cheese,’ it was something that Ryan wanted to do,” cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw told CBS Mornings in a March 11 interview. “Kind of like down and dirty, something you can make quickly but that tastes really good.”

And though Sinners—which also took home the trophies for Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score—ultimately turned into “a Michelin 12-courser” for the cinematographer, the tasty code name captured the spirit of the filmmaking crew.

“That was [Ryan’s] first iteration of the concept of how we were going to do this film,” the 46-year-old continued. “Something that can be quick and fast and gritty.”

Ryan’s playful and collaborative mindset was also a touchstone of Autumn’s acceptance speech after she made history as the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography at the award show, hosted by Conan O’Brien at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood March 15. (Find out all the winners here.)

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“Whenever I say thank you to Ryan, he replies and says, ‘No, thank you. Thank you for believing in me, and thank you for trusting me,’” she said from stage. “And that's the kind of guy that I get to make films with. He’s a very, very honorable person, and he means it. He really, truly means it.”

Plus, Autumn shared a powerful moment with the women in the audience.

“I really want all the women in the room to stand up, because I feel like I don't get here without you guys,” she continued. “I felt so much love from all the women on this whole campaign and [have] gotten to meet so many people. And I just feel like moments like this happen because of you guys, and I want to thank you for that.”

But you may have missed some more of the night’s most iconic moments. Read on to check out everything you didn’t see on TV.

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Ryan Coogler & Paul Thomas Anderson

At this point in the night, the Sinners and One Battle After Another directors were just a couple of auteurs clutching their first-ever Oscars, Coogler for Best Original Screenplay and PTA for Best Adapted Screenplay.

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Kylie Jenner & Timothée Chalamet

Jenner is officially a regular, accompanying Best Actor nominee Chalamet to the Oscars for the second year in a row.

And the Kylie Cosmetics mogul was excited to see Sentimental Value star Elle Fanning, her boyfriend's A Complete Unknown costar from his 2025 award season run and a nominee this year for Best Supporting Actress.

Fanning later gave Chalamet a consolatory pat on the back after Michael B. Jordan reigned supreme in the Best Actor race.

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Teyana Taylor & Cassandra Kulukundis

While fellow attendees started ripping into their Conan O'Brien-sanctioned snacks, Taylor celebrated One Battle After Another's casting director for winning the first-ever Oscar for Best Casting.

Once again, the returning host left a note with the box of treats, this time reading, "I hope you enjoy this Conan O’Brien ‘Moderately Happy Meal’ ™. These snacks may not look like much but in any movie theater they would run you $85."

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Jacob Elordi

The Frankenstein star, a first-time Oscar nominee in the Best Supporting Actor category, made the rounds in between awards.

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Stellan Skarsgård

Losing the Best Supporting Actor Oscar to Sean Penn didn't dampen the Sentimental Value star's spirits.

Enjoying a drink in a VIP area afterward, Skarsgård told a well-wisher, per the Los Angeles Times, "We had four actor nominations on an international film. That’s never happened before."

Not to mention, the Joaquim Trier-directed Norwegian film was named Best International Feature.

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Pedro Pascal & Sigourney Weaver

Weaver's trying and failing not to burst out laughing before the duo headed out to present Best Production Design (to Frankenstein) and Best Visual Effects (to Avatar: Fire & Ash).

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Chase Infiniti & Paul Thomas Anderson

After making her acting debut in One Battle After Another, Infiniti couldn't have been more thrilled over how the night was going.

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Winners for Best Original Song

Mark Sonnenblick tried to keep the commercial break at bay, to no avail, when one of his fellow songwriters was cut off mid-sentence while accepting "Golden's" historic when for Best Original Song.

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Demi Moore & Mikey Madison

Madison may have come out ahead in the Best Actress race last year, but they still enjoyed a reunion of substance.

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Pauline Chalamet & Timothée Chalamet

There was plenty of room for family in the Marty Supreme row, Chalamet's sister joining him and Jenner for a night out.

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Rachel McAdams & Sterling K. Brown

This is not us, but rather two actors having a moment near the makeup chair backstage at the Academy Awards. No need to send help.

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Nicole Kidman

The 2003 Best Actress winner didn't mind whiling away a few more of the hours at the 2026 Oscars.

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Michael B. Jordan & Leonardo DiCaprio

DiCaprio was on hand to celebrate Jordan's golden moment, as he surged in the final days of voting to win Best Actor.

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Odessa A'zion

The Marty Supreme actress toasted to the Oscars with a mini bottle of Tequila Don Julio 1942.

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Oscar

This was taken March 10 during the Governors Ball preview at the Ovation Hollywood Complex, a sneak peek at the glam spot where the winners go to get their statues engraved, but we thought you should see how the sausage, er, chocolate is made.

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Pedro Pascal, Jesse Plemons & Kirsten Dunst

Cue the body language experts to decipher what, exactly, Pascal just saw on his phone.

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Alexandre Singh & Natalie Musteata

Art reflected life for the directors of "Two People Exchanging Saliva," who enjoyed their win for Best Live Action Short in the rarest of circumstances after finishing in a tie with "The Singers," produced by Jack Piatt and directed by Sam A. Davis.

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Jack Piatt, Sam A. Davis, Natalie Musteata & Alexandre Singh

It was the more the merrier as the dual pairs of winners had a ball backstage with their shiny new Oscars.

Piatt told reporters in the press room that he wished there could have been a "five-way tie" among all the nominees.

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Michael B. Jordan

The Best Actor winner shared a quiet moment with Oscar before hitting In-N-Out on his way to the after-parties.

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Emma Stone, Dave McCary, Demi Moore, Kate Hudson & Danny Fujikawa

The guy in the row with the longest arms is usually put on selfie duty, and tonight the honor went to Best Actress nominee Hudson's partner.

Kidman just came to this place to get to her seat, but ended up playing a supporting role in a photo bomb.

Watch the Oscars 2026 Sunday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC and streaming on Hulu.