If you’re a fan of film and a fan of TikTok, you might have heard of Paloma Diamond. If not, keep reading — and watch Paloma Diamond pull you in.
The internet inside joke revolves around a character created by high school teacher-turned-social media star Julian Sewell. The 29-year-old, from New Zealand, first went viral on the app in 2023 when he posted a parody of the Oscars. “And the nominees for best actress are…” he begins in the video, which pans to Sewell as all five actresses. Each one is sporting a deliciously convincing wig as a 20-second clip from their made-up film follows, such as The Remedy — which appears to be a medical drama — or, poking fun at long movie names with a specific location, Awake, Alone and Aware on the Streets of Topeka, Kansas.
All five characters were distinctive and had their own personality, like Lorelai Lynch, a young rising star overwhelmed with gratitude, or seasoned pro in Taylor Witherfork, confidently waving to the camera. But it was one actress in particular that Sewell’s followers became obsessed with: a smirking, elusive and grey-bobbed Paloma Diamond. Fans wanted more.
“Somebody said to me the other day: ‘You’re like the Mariah Carey of the Oscars,’” Sewell tells The Hollywood Reporter of his annual awards show videos. “‘You come around every year.’ Maybe that’s gonna be my life.”
He adds: “The top comment on the winners announcement video [in 2023] was: ‘Paloma Diamond was robbed.’ It had tens of thousands of likes.” As of the time of writing, THR can confirm the comment has accrued more than 100,000 likes. “Well, I’ve got to do something with this character now.”
Since then, following a viral Vulture profile (“Paloma Diamond Is Winning Awards Season”), Sewell has posted two more yearly awards nominations parody videos to coincide with the actual, real-life Oscars (taking place March 2), and Diamond has become a TikTok sensation. Users share theories revolving around her being snubbed by the Academy (she now boasts 20 nominations with no wins), they unpack why her latest film is not her best performance, or why another of Sewell’s characters (such as, this year, scream queen Yolanda Fontaine in No Vacancy), deserves the honor instead.
Diamond, who Sewell says is partly inspired by Glenn Close, Cate Blanchett and perpetual Daytime Emmy nominee Susan Lucci, has also featured in spin-off videos such as the Downton Abbey-esque The Greatest Virtue of Propriety and ’80s soap Destiny & Deceit, all of which Sewell stars in as every single character. It is on his TikTok and Instagram, bursting at the seams with elaborate scripts and fleshed-out characters, that more than three million followers are now tuning into what has become, effectively, his own TV channel.
Another TikTok user, Ari Thee Architect, had this to say in a recently posted video. “The nominations are in and I swear, if Paloma Diamond does not get her Oscar this year, I am boycotting the Academy.” It’s hard to explain just how fervid the actress’ fanbase is in words — maybe numbers are more appropriate. This video, made by a fan Sewell has never had any contact with, has over 350,000 likes.
“Bluff was sheer perfection,” another person writes under the video, referring to one of Diamond’s fake films. “She also did her own stunts.” Sewell’s other characters are brought in, too: “Can you talk about Lorelai Lynch NOT being nominated? I was too stunned to speak.” Others weigh in with passionate opinions about which of Sewell’s many characters are deserving of a gold statuette: Lint Lecker says in his own Oscars analysis video (which has over 270,000 likes) that Paloma has “given better performances than she did with Bluff… Yolanda Fontaine, however, this woman’s performance in No Vacancy — I felt like I could feel the fear radiating off of her.”
To stress: none of this is real. Sewell just nails all the Hollywood tropes and stereotypes we’ve come to love.
This year, Diamond is up for her role in a film called Bluff alongside an array of delightfully named competitors: Felicity Carmichael for Gifted Grace, Jane Farroway for The Face in the Mirror at the Back of the Room, Yolanda Fontaine for No Vacancy and June Sheridan for Funny Lady, which, of course, Diamond also directed.
“I think part of the reason why engagement does really well on my platforms,” Sewell says, “is because it invites people to contribute to the lore and contribute to this universe… It’s almost a little flavor of everyone’s creative writing skills. They comment, ‘Oh, I loved Paloma Diamond in 2002 when she played a bird’ or something.”
Sewell has enjoyed creating a diva-type character in Diamond for his “little corner of the internet.” The corner is quickly growing thanks to the content creator’s “fascination” with the Oscars as well as his own acting chops. “I would love to act professionally,” he admits. “I think that is slowly where this is heading.”
In the meantime, however, Sewell knows he’s uncovered an engagement goldmine in Paloma Diamond. The Hollywood Reporter spoke to Sewell in character as Diamond (wig and all) about the psychological toll that Bluff took on her, why her long-time rumored rival Lynch is not nominated, and feeling snubbed by the Academy: “Sometimes I think to myself, and I wonder: what is it that I’ve done? Who have I hurt?”
Paloma, thank you for speaking to me. How was it receiving news of your Bluff nomination?
It was absolutely wonderful. You know, this would be my 20th nomination, and every single time, it’s just been the biggest privilege to be nominated, particularly alongside a group of wonderful colleagues and actresses who all deserve best actress equally. It’s an absolute honor.
I know your career has been so broad and so vast with Breathe (2024), The Day Hell Froze Over (2003) and Destiny & Deceit (1984) alone showcasing your range. I wonder where Bluff ranks in terms of just how difficult that role was.
So, Bluff follows the story of a woman who has been chosen by an agency to run her own poker-playing business. She’s also a teacher. She’s an educator, so she knows so much about her craft. It involved me actually learning about poker, the game. I’ve only played it a few times in my life, but actually, I had to go through rigorous training on how to play poker, how to play blackjack. I visited several casinos. I went to Las Vegas. I studied the roulette tables. I studied the game. There’s an actual art to poker — it’s not just a game of luck. It’s something that is incredibly strategic. There are rules. There are ways around the rules. The art of bluffing in itself, which is what the movie is all about, isn’t something to be flippant about.
It was very vigorous psychologically. I had to go through a lot of counseling, because bluffing is all about lying and deceit, right? And that’s not who I am, that’s not what I stand for. It was mentally very challenging.
You’re reaping the rewards of that dedication in the gear-up to the Oscars now. People are really rooting for you. Your fanbase, especially on TikTok, is fervid. Do you watch what people are saying?
It’s very controversial. There are a lot of people that do support me, which is so lovely, and there are people that have stood by me all these years because they believe that I have been treated unfairly by the Academy because I’ve never won. So it is lovely to hear that there is an army of Paloma supporters that follow me. But I also do have my haters and people that somehow, for some reason, have something against me. But just I take it in my stride. I try not to let that affect me.
When you’ve been in the public eye for so long, it’s normal to have people that don’t like you, and that’s just a part of the business, but I’m honored that there are so many people that believe that Bluff was a work of art and that I deserve a nomination.
Do you feel like you’ve been snubbed by the Academy?
It’s a touchy subject. Sometimes I think to myself, and I wonder: What is it that I’ve done? Who have I hurt? Who have I betrayed — if there has been a betrayal — and why? Why the need to single me out as an actress? Why am I the one that has to succumb to all of these losses? I can’t help but ask those questions. It’s really hard for me to fathom and to contemplate. What I will say is that it has hurt me.
Of course, accolades are never something that you do this job for. But is 2025 your year?
We will never know until the day. Maybe I will never win. And I’ve said this before on several talk shows and radio shows, and I’ve said this in my autobiography. I have to be okay with that. Twenty nominations is better than no nominations, and I have to look on the bright side. I think my that’s what my fans have followed me for and know about me. Maybe I can set an example of resilience, of strength. I can’t let it destroy the little light inside of me. I have to just keep going.
You are a role model to a lot of people. I wonder if you could speak a little bit about your relationships with the other nominees. I know you have a strenuous one with Lorelai Lynch who isn’t nominated this year. But what other performances stood out to you?
Well, of course, I directed June Sheridan in Funny Lady which is a brilliant, brilliant comedy. I read the script, made a few tiny edits, but really she delivered in that role. She really did, and she deserves the nomination. In fact, she deserves to win. And if she wins best actress then I can’t help but feel that I had something to do with that. So I would be happy if she won, in all honesty — you know, she had to wrestle with an anaconda. And she did all of her own stunts in that movie. So I can’t help but feel that she absolutely 100 percent deserves it. I have spoken to Yolanda. Yolanda is a good friend of mine. She just embodied this role No Vacancy. It’s a horror movie set in a motel, and it’s all one shot. I watched it by myself, and I just think that she was spectacular.
Felicity and I used to work together back in 1998, we were in The Bakerfield’s House together. She is a very, very old friend of mine. She deserves it as well. That movie is getting a lot of hate, it’s getting a lot of bad press at the moment, but I just have to say, I still enjoyed it. Jane Farroway has come a long way. She’s really grown in these past few years.
So there’s no bad blood this year between you and your fellow nominees?
Absolutely not. There’s no bad blood at all. That’s not what Paloma does or what she stands for. All I’m saying is that Lorelai — without pointing fingers, there’s a reason why she’s not nominated.