Oscars blasted for investigating campaign efforts after actress's surprise nod: 'Threatens their system'
Actress Andrea Riseborough's 'grassroots' campaign for her role in 'To Leslie' has caused controversy
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Andrea Riseborough's surprise Oscars nomination for her role in "To Leslie" appeared to be under the microscope of the Academy last week after it decided to investigate the nominees' campaigns for the coveted awards, but the Academy ultimately decided to let the nomination stand.
"To Leslie" is small independent film about a single mother who wins the lottery. The unorthodox Oscars campaign to get Riseborough a Best Actress nod reportedly began with "To Leslie" director Michael Morris' wife Mary McCormack, who emailed actors and encouraged them to post rave reviews for her performance on social media. Actors like Ed Norton, Kate Winslet and Gwyneth Paltrow, and Cate Blanchett were among those who gave the film some high profile nods.
Concerns were also raised over McCormack allegedly hosting gatherings and calling members directly to urge them to vote, which were potential violations of Academy guidelines.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Academy did not directly name Riseborough or "To Leslie" in its announcement on Jan. 27 that it would be "conducting a review of the campaign procedures around this year’s nominees" to ensure campaigning was "conducted in a fair and ethical manner." The Academy added that "social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern."
‘TILL’ DIRECTOR ACCUSES HOLLYWOOD OF ‘UPHOLDING WHITENESS’ AFTER OSCARS SNUB
In this Feb. 21, 2015 file photo, an Oscar statue appears outside the Dolby Theatre for the 87th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision)
Podcast host Marc Maron, who has a significant role in "To Leslie" as a motel owner who helps Riseborough's character get her life back on track, slammed the Academy's decision to investigate.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Apparently, the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences, or whatever the f--- it is, has decided to investigate Andrea Riseborough's grassroots campaign to get her the Oscar nomination," Maron said on his show. "Because I guess it so threatens their system that they're completely bought out by corporate interests in the form of studios."
"Millions of dollars [are] put into months of advertising campaigns, publicity, screenings by large corporate entertainment entities, and Andrea was championed by her peers through a grassroots campaign, which was pushed through by a few actors," he added. "The Academy is [like], 'Well, we gotta take a look at this. This is not the way it's supposed to work. Independent artists don't deserve the attention of the Academy unless we see how it works exactly. So, we're going to look into this.'"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(From L) U.S. actor Rami Malek, British actress Andrea Riseborough, U.S. filmmaker David O Russell, Australian actress Margot Robbie and British actor Christian Bale pose upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film "Amsterdam" in Leicester Square, central London, on September 21, 2022. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP) (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images) (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images)
Riseborough received the Best Actress Oscars nod over "The Woman King's" Viola Davis and "Till's" Danielle Deadwyler. "Till" director Chinonye Chukwu, who also failed to get a Best Director nomination, accused the Oscars and Hollywood in general of being "aggressively committed to upholding whiteness" in the wake of the snub.
"Till," a biographical drama about Mamie Till-Bradley and her search for justice after the murder of her 14-year-old son Emmett Till, received critical acclaim but failed to receive nominations in any category.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We live in a world and work in industries that are so aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards Black women," Chukwu wrote on Instagram. "And yet. I am forever in gratitude for the greatest lesson of my life - regardless of any challenges or obstacles, I will always have the power to cultivate my own joy, and it is this joy that will continue to be one of my greatest forms of resistance."
An Academy Awards crew member looks over a background element for the red carpet at Union Station, one of the locations for Sunday's 93rd Academy Awards, Saturday, April 24, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool) (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool)
In 2020, the Academy announced a new series of inclusion requirements to "encourage equitable representation on and off-screen."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bill Kramer, the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, announced Tuesday that it would not rescind Riseborough's nomination.
"The Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film’s nomination should be rescinded," Kramer said in a statement, according to BuzzFeed News. "However, we did discover social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern. These tactics are being addressed with the responsible parties directly."