I say this every year, but one of my favorite parts of Oscar season is the series of reaction-pieces from people who have just been nominated for an Oscar. Some people are too cool for school, and they merely offer a canned, rehearsed statement thanking the Academy. Other people are unapologetically gleeful and giddy. Lin-Manuel Miranda was gleeful, giddy AND too cool for school. He’s already won everything else – literally – and now he’s been nominated for an Oscar for Best Song, for his work on Moana (the song is “How Far I’ll Go”). While I think there’s a really good chance that one of the songs from La La Land will win, I also think that Hollywood loves Lin and they want to reward him too, so why not fulfill his EGOT? If he wins the Oscar, he’ll be the youngest EGOTer in the history of EGOTs. Magnificent.

Anyway, Lin-Manuel has been in London for a few months working on Mary Poppins Returns with Emily Blunt. That’s where he was when he learned about his Oscar nomination – on the set, eating Indian food and watching a tape-delay of Roger Federer play in the Australian Open quarterfinals. I LOVE THIS. Game respects game. Federer = Lin-Manuel.

Where he was when he learned about his Oscar nom: “I was on my lunch break from this movie I’m working on, and I was watching the Australian Open on delay from this morning. So I still don’t know whether Federer wins or not, but he’s doing really well. My phone vibrated off the table. I didn’t know the time because I’m in London, so I messed up. I didn’t know when the nominations were going to be announced because I can’t do math. [Laughs] It literally started buzzing off the table, and that’s when I found out.

Plans to celebrate: “I don’t know! I guess I’ll pop a little something of bubbly with my wife when I get home from work tonight. I think that’s about as crazy as I’m going to get!

His first Oscar nomination: “Ooh, you say that like there will be more. How exciting! [Laughs] No, I’m not gonna lie, I’m excited to go to the Oscars. I’m not even a little jaded, especially about the Oscars. I’m the kid who used to tape the Oscars and memorize Billy Crystal’s musical monologues. And you know, the Jack Palance running jokes… I used to tape them every year, so I’m thrilled to get to go to the party. I’m that dork. The fact that I’m going to get to go to the Oscars is actually a crazy big deal. And I’m really just so excited for the entire Moana team. I mean, I worked on the movie for the past three years. They’ve been working on it for five years. It’s a wonderful sort of congratulations from many, many years of hard work, so I’m thrilled to be a part of it.

Going up against two songs from La La Land: “Oh, it’s great. I’ve known Benj [Pasek] and Justin [Paul, who wrote La La Land’s lyrics] a long time. We share an orchestrator, and we’ve shared a lot of laughs over the years, so I’ve been thrilled watching their success. This is going to be their year because Dear Evan Hansen is also a motherf—ing great score, and that’s on Broadway right now. So I think they’re going to have a really great night, and this is going to be great practice for them for June. And then Sting! Sting and Justin Timberlake! What! It’s a crazy category. It’s a mad libs of a category.

He’s excited about the screeners: “From what I understand, one of the perks of being nominated is you get to be a part of the academy and one of the perks of being part of the academy is screeners, so I’m really down for some screeners right now. So, you know, hook a brother up.”

[From EW & the LAT]

I just love him. I love that he says “I’m not gonna lie, I’m excited to go to the Oscars. I’m not even a little jaded, especially about the Oscars.” I feel like he always tries to keep his sense of childlike wonder, especially about new experiences. I mean, he’s literally won everything else, from multiple Tonys to an Emmy to a Pulitzer and more. He’s been honored by everyone and everything for his genius. And he’s still super-jazzed to go to the Oscars and hang out with Michael Shannon and Viola Davis. God, I hope he wins.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.