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- By Noor Nanji
- cultural reporter
Image source, fake images
Al Pacino didn’t bother to read all the best picture nominees
Al Pacino explained why he didn’t read the names of the 10 best picture nominees at the Oscars, saying it was the show’s producers who made the decision.
The veteran actor presented the final trophy of the night at Sunday’s star-studded event in Los Angeles.
But there was confusion when he abruptly announced that the winner was Oppenheimer without first listing the nominees, as is customary.
“It was not my intention to leave them out,” Pacino said in a statement.
Instead, the 83-year-old said, it was “a decision by the producers not to call out (the nominees) again since they were singled out individually throughout the ceremony.”
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In his statement, issued Monday afternoon, the Oscar-winning actor added that he “chose to follow” the way producers wanted the award to be presented.
“I realize that being nominated is a huge milestone in one’s life and not being fully recognized is offensive and hurtful,” Pacino said.
“I say this as someone who relates deeply to filmmakers, actors and producers, so I deeply empathize with those who have been slighted by this oversight and that is why I felt it was necessary to make this statement.”
Pacino’s announcement meant the night ended on a confusing note, without the usual fanfare surrounding the night’s biggest prize.
Upon opening the envelope, he muttered “my eyes see ‘Oppenheimer,'” leaving the audience momentarily confused as to whether the film had actually won.
Oppenheimer swept the awards and Cillian Murphy won best actor.
BBC culture reporter Emma Saunders, who was at the event in Los Angeles, said her announcement “made people sit up in their chairs” as they tried to analyze the information.
While it wasn’t the magnitude of the chaos at the end of the 2017 awards, when Moonlight and La La Land went head-to-head for best picture, he said it gave reporters backstage “a panic attack right at the end.” end of the ceremony.” ceremony”.
McNearney, who is married to Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel, added: “By the time you get to the end of the show, you’ve seen all 10 clip packages of the best movies.
“People just want to know who wins, and they’re pretty ready for the show to be over. At least that’s what we anticipated. So we didn’t give him a clip package. We didn’t give him nominations to read.”
Addressing Pacino, he apologized if the decision “put him in a difficult situation.”
“That made it a little confusing. But listen, that’s the thrill of live television. You never know exactly what you’re going to see!”
The 10 films nominated for best picture were American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things and The Zone of Interest.
Oppenheimer swept the ceremony, winning best picture, best actor for Cillian Murphy, best director for Christopher Nolan and best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr.
An estimated 19.5 million people tuned in to the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday night, according to broadcaster ABC.
That’s the highest number in four years and nearly double the pandemic-era low. However, ratings remain disappointing for a ceremony that regularly attracted more than 40 million viewers a decade ago.
This year’s Oscar nominations included big hits like Barbie and Oppenheimer that audiences had actually seen, compared to the more esoteric, arthouse films that dominated the nominations at recent ceremonies. The Academy also moved the show by an hour earlier this year, which may have helped boost ratings.
Pacino, an acting legend, won the Oscar for best actor in 1993 for Scent of a Woman.