Wagner Moura Reveals the Fellow Oscar Nominees He’s Dying to Meet! (Exclusive)

Academy Award nominee Wagner Moura, star of “The Secret Agent,” sat down with Variety’s Chief Awards Editor Clayton Davis for an “Extra” exclusive interview ahead of the Oscars on Sunday. 

Moura opened up about his award season journey, pinch-me moments, and the fellow nominees he’d love to meet! 

Wagner kept it real, admitting he was “tired,” but that it’s been a “rewarding” journey.

Moura has been brushing shoulders with Hollywood’s elite. He revealed, “I wish I could have talked to [Steven] Spielberg. It would have been cool to go, ‘Hey, man, like, how’s it going?’ Have you seen ‘Narcos’?”

Wagner did meet another legendary director, Guillermo del Toro, who told him, “Steven saw ‘The Secret Agent’ and he liked it a lot,’ and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s great.’”

Moura recently expressed his desire to have lunch with fellow nominee Leonardo DiCaprio. So, has he met him?

He answered, “No, man, I haven’t. When we took that picture, he was like two rows in front of me and I was like, ‘Should I tap on his shoulder and go, ‘Hey, man, I’m Wagner’?”

As for future projects, Wagner really wants to work with Steven Soderbergh.

He said, “I met Steven Soderbergh and I had, like, a two-hour conversation with that man, and I’m like, ‘Wow, you know, I’m such a fan. I hope this comes through.’”

Moura is also down to reunite with his “Narcos” co-star Pedro Pascal, saying, “Long time I don’t talk to him. I love him."

He also reflected on representing Brazil on the global stage, saying, “It feels great for Brazilians… to see ourselves in our productions. It creates identity, creates self-esteem.”

This Sunday, Wagner is up for Best Actor, competing against Leonardo, Timothée Chalamet, Michael B. Jordan, and Ethan Hawke.

While he doesn’t think he’ll win, Moura will prep a speech in case his name is called.