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On March 23, 2003, as the rest of the world watched televised images of captives and corpses identified as American soldiers, limousines carrying couture-clad celebrities pulled up in front of what was then known as the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles.
The United States had invaded Iraq just three days earlier and, until that morning, there was still a chance that the Oscars would not take place.
While celebrities like Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry and Steve Martin (the host) were led through metal detectors amid a large police presence, a few blocks away, police officers with clubs confronted protesters who tried to approach the theater (none did).
This year, another war makes headlines as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosts another Oscars. Until now, almost no one has spoken at previous awards ceremonies, but in 2003 it was very different.
“It felt weird to dress up and go to this while our fellow Americans were overseas about to get involved in something that was very dangerous,” director Chris Sanders recalled in a recent interview. Sanders was nominated that year for best animated film for directing and writing “Lilo & Stitch” with Dean DeBlois.
In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, more than 100 artists, including Matt Damon, Jessica Lange, Helen Hunt, George Clooney and Danny Glover, signed a letter urging President George W. Bush not to attack Iraq. The day before, actors Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, and Oscar-nominated director Pedro Almodóvar, were among thousands who marched in Hollywood to protest the war.
And hours after the war began, several hosts, including Cate Blanchett and Jim Carrey, walked out, citing safety concerns and respect for military families. Peter Jackson, whose film “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” was nominated for best picture, also decided to skip the show.
“It was a little bit like, ‘Are they going to happen?’” Sanders said. “And if they do, who will show up?”
The Academy Awards, which will be presented Sunday for their 96th year, have never been canceled outright. During the pandemic, they were held partly remotely, with some nominees and presenters appearing from centers in London and Paris. During World War II, after an initial cancellation, the Oscars were held as scheduled, but with formal attire prohibited and the ceremony billed as a “dinner” rather than a “banquet.”
In 2003, the show’s broadcaster, ABC, pleaded with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to take a similar course, but the academy refused, in part because the Kodak Theater would not be available later. Instead, the academy decided to hold the ceremony as planned, but with some changes: The arriving nominees and their guests would not walk a red carpet (for the first time) and would instead be asked to wear darker colors and outfits. more discreet.
Sanders said he knew “Lilo & Stitch” had little chance of winning. “We were up against Miyazaki, for ‘Spirited Away,'” he said. But other nominees had to debate whether they would address the war if they won.
“Stars used to be more reluctant to say anything that might alienate ticket buyers,” said Jules Dixon-Green, a professor at the University of North Carolina who teaches a course on entertainment public relations. “But as social media platforms have become more vibrant and robust, celebrities are realizing that people are really looking for authentic points of view from people they admire, respect and follow.”
In 2003, the favorite at the beginning of the evening was “Chicago,” with 13 nominations, including best picture, best director for Rob Marshall and best actress and supporting actress for Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Martin Scorsese’s landmark crime story “Gangs of New York” was hot on its heels with 10 nominations, and the psychological drama “The Hours” scored nine, including best actress for Nicole Kidman’s fake-nosed role as the writer Virginia Woolf.
The first prize of the night went to “Spirited Away.” Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki was not present and offered no explanation at the time. in a 2009 interview with Los Angeles TimesHe said he had boycotted the awards because of the invasion.
“I didn’t want to visit a country that was bombing Iraq,” he said. “At that moment my producer silenced me and didn’t allow me to say that, but today I don’t see him here.”
The first winner to refer to the war was Chris Cooper, who won best supporting actor for his portrayal of a nearly toothless orchid thief in “Adaptation.”
“In light of all the problems in this world, I wish us peace,” he said.
Then things went off the rails.
After Zeta-Jones, who was nearly nine months pregnant, won for her portrayal of vaudeville villain Velma Kelly in “Chicago,” Michael Moore took the stage to accept the award for best documentary for “Bowling for Columbine.”
As the other nominated documentaries joined him on stage, he said they were making a joint statement: “We are against this war,” he declared and was greeted with a chorus of loud boos. (“Music, music!” Oscar broadcast director Louis J. Horvitz was heard shouting.)
“She was so sweet backstage,” Steve Martin said a few minutes later. “You should have seen it. The Teamsters are helping Michael Moore into the trunk of his limo.
And then came one of the night’s biggest surprises: Halle Berry announced that Adrien Brody had won best actor for his portrayal of an unlikely Holocaust survivor in Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist,” beating Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine and Daniel Day-Lewis. and Jack Nicholson.
An exuberant Brody, who, at 29, became the youngest actor to win the category, walked onstage in a daze, kissing a surprised Berry (she later said the episode made her uncomfortable) and used his speech to call for peace and the safe return of American soldiers.
“Whether you believe in Allah or God, may he watch over you and pray for a peaceful and quick resolution of this war,” he said.
A few minutes later, the best actress award went to Kidman, who upon accepting her award asked, “Why do you come to the Academy Awards when the world is so hectic? Because art is important.”
Momentum seemed to be building for the “Pianist” surprise best picture after Brody won best actor and Ronald Harwood won best adapted screenplay for the film. Then Polanski, who has not returned to the United States since he fled while awaiting sentencing for statutory rape, was named best director over favorites Marshall and Scorsese.
However, the night ended as expected: “Chicago” won its sixth statuette, for best picture, becoming the first musical to win since “Oliver!” (1968).
Ratings for the ceremony, which lasted three and a half hours and was the first Academy Awards broadcast in high definition, showed that it attracted 33 million viewers, making it the least-watched televised Oscar ceremony and with the lowest rating until that moment. Instead, a significant number of viewers had tuned in to coverage of the Iraq war.
The references to Iraq that permeated the night stood in stark contrast to the awards ceremonies so far this season, when – after two years in which the war in Ukraine was recognized at almost every ceremony – the conflict between Israel and Hamas It was practically not mentioned.
“It’s too tense,” a studio executive told New York Times awards season columnist Kyle Buchanan last week. “People are worried about their careers.”
Outside the United States, however, actors and filmmakers have been more outspoken. At last month’s BAFTA Awards in London, producer James Wilson, accepting the award for best foreign language film for his Holocaust film, “The Zone of Interest,” called for an end to “selective empathy.” “, establishing parallels between his film and the Israeli bombing and invasion of the Gaza Strip In recent months.
It’s unlikely, Dixon-Green said, that we’ll see such bold rhetoric at the Oscars on Sunday. But he said he hoped at least one winner would refer to the war or the election.
“There’s just something different about Oscar night,” he said. “The winners, even if it’s just a brief mention or two, feel a responsibility to say something about whatever is happening in our country or the world.”