Oscar Winners Reflect on the Big Moment

Feb. 26, 2007 — -- It was a night of dreams come true and long-awaited victories for newcomers and old favorites on the Oscar stage. "Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts and Chris Cuomo got exclusive access to this year's Academy Award winners. Read on to hear what the stars had to say after winning Hollywood's highest honor.

Forest Whitaker -- King of the Evening

Robin Roberts caught up with Forest Whitaker at the governor's ball, where he was named king of the evening after winning a best actor award for his performance as Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland."

In his acceptance speech, Whitaker remembered his humble roots in East Texas and how far he has come because he held on to his dreams.

Whitaker told Roberts that his goal in the speech was to provide perspective on his journey.

"I wanted to say something about the journey," Whitaker told Roberts. "This is the whole point of what I do. What I do for ... this whole point of my art and also I think that is the wrong word. It's the whole point of my life."

Helen Mirren -- a Natural Queen

Roberts congratulated Helen Mirren on her win for best actress for "The Queen." Mirren told "GMA" that despite her long and successful career, she never thought she'd have a chance at winning the coveted gold statuette.

"I never thought I'd ever win an Oscar. I never thought that, but I was happy with that. I kind of let go of that -- you know 'it's not going to happen to you, Helen. And it's fine. It's fine. You've had a great life and a great career. Um and it's absolutely fine. You don't need to win an Oscar,'" Mirren said she'd told herself.

But she added, "I did!"

Martin Scorsese -- a Long-Awaited Victory

He had eight nominations for some of Hollywood's most memorable movies, but it was "The Departed" -- a slick, fast and thrilling crime drama -- that brought one of Hollywood's favorite directors a long-awaited Oscar.

Scorsese took home two Oscars for best director and best picture, and received a long and hearty ovation from his peers.

Scorsese told Roberts that the reaction from the Academy was extraordinary.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Scorsese shouted from the podium to quiet the roaring crowd.

"I was very moved by that. I was overwhelmed by it, you know? I kind of got used to the fact I wasn't going to get it. And so I keep telling my little one, my 7-year-old, the idea is that you don't do the work to get an award, you just try to do the work," Scorsese said.

Scorsese wondered out loud if not winning had made him a better director.

"I wonder if I had gotten that earlier, if the work would have been different. If I wouldn't have been able to be strong enough," he said.

Scorsese told Roberts that he felt his parents, who are no longer living, were enjoying the sweetness of this victory with him.

"My Aunt Fanny called. She's about 84 years old. She's crying. She's the only one left of the family. My mother and father have gone. They're laughing. I can hear them now laughing," he said.

Jennifer Hudson -- the Dream Girl Has a Dream Come True

She was voted off "American Idol," but Jennifer Hudson won our hearts in "Dreamgirls" as Effie, a young singer struggling to make it big. Last night, Hudson won for best supporting actress, and said that she wished her grandmother could see her now.

She told "GMA's" Chris Cuomo that her family and her grandmother were her inspiration.

"My grandmother is probably in heaven shouting right now. It brings tears to my eyes to think about it," she said.

Hudson said that the win still hasn't sunk in.

"Oh God ... it just hit me that I got the part a few months ago. We were just starting the awards season and people were talking about the Oscar buzz, and I was just realizing the fact that Lord I got the part in the movie. So you can only imagine how long it's going to take me to understand this," she said.

Hudson, honored for her first movie, said that she hopes this is the start of a long and successful career.

"This is the beginning of so much more, and it has given me that drive even more to press on and to continue to act and grow a passion even more for it and just to continue to dream," Hudson said.