Aunjanue Ellis' 2022 Oscars Dress Has a Special Shout Out to Her Mother (original) (raw)

"Donatella Versace accommodated this wish for me and made it happen," Aunjanue Ellis said

Published on March 27, 2022 07:35PM EDT

Photo: Getty

Aunjanue Ellis' gown at the 94th annual Academy Awards included a special tribute to her mother.

While attending the award show held at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre on Sunday, the 53-year-old actress opened up about how she wanted to honor her mom with her look — and how Donatella Versace made it happen.

The King Richard star's dress included the phrase "Jax Baby" embroidered onto the left shoulder, which is a nod to her mom's name.

"Her name is Jacqueline and I'm Jax's baby," she told Laverne Cox on Live from E!: Oscars, adding, "My nephew's name is Jax as well."

"Donatella Versace accommodated this wish for me and made it happen," she explained.

Ellis is up for her first Oscar for her portrayal of the mother of Venus and Serena Williams, Oracene "Brandy" Price, in King Richard. She starred alongside Will Smith, who played the acclaimed film's titular character.

"We just have a tremendous amount of love for the Williams family," Ellis told Cox, 49.

"He wanted to honor that family. I wanted to honor that family, and we just want to have this hive mind about it," she continued. "We really didn't talk about it. It was just like, we went in the cage and just really did it."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Ellis also shared her excitement for being in attendance for the A-list event.

"It feels good. I feel like I'm at a Prince concert," she joked. "And I'm like, why am I here? But anyway, I am here and I'm happy to be."

King Richard is up for six Oscars, including best actor for Smith, 53, and best picture.

Smith's performance, in particular, has put him on a winning streak this awards season. He previously won top prizes at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and the British Academy Film Awards.

The 2022 Oscars airs Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.