‘Wicked’ Oscar Winner Paul Tazewell On Being The First Black Man To Be Honored In Costume Design; “This Is The Pinnacle Of My Career”

Paul Tazewellis flying high and defying Academy Award records.

Speaking backstage to the press at theOscars, Tazewell said, This is the pinnacle of my career.

Ive been designing costumes for over 35 years.

Paul Tazewell accepts the Costume Design award for “Wicked” onstage during the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 02, 2025 in Hollywood, California.Kevin Winter/Getty Images

First on Broadway and now in film.

And [now] I realize that its actually me.

We were working on two films at the same time.