Al Pacino addresses his strange ‘Best Picture’ announcement
Al Pacino has addressed his awkward moment at the Oscars 2024, explaining that it was the show’s producers who decided to omit the nominees’ names from the ‘Best Picture’ category.
The actor faced backlash after the ceremony when he seemed to stumble through his presentation of the award, abruptly announcing Oppenheimer as the winner without mentioning any of the other projects in the category.
Pacino explained the confusing moment in a new statement, saying: “It was not my intention to omit them,” adding, “[it was] a choice by the producers not to have [the nominees] said again since they were highlighted individually throughout the ceremony”.
The actor also recognised the value of the awards, continuing, “I realise being nominated is a huge milestone in one’s life and to not be fully recognised is offensive and hurtful”.
Concluding, “I say this as someone who profoundly relates with film-makers, actors and producers so I deeply empathise with those who have been slighted by this oversight and it’s why I felt it necessary to make this statement”.
Pacino’s blunder made headlines, with many claiming it went against the show’s tradition. However, the show’s producer, Molly McNearney, explained that the incident is a testament to the “excitement” of live television, saying: “People just want to hear who wins, and they’re pretty ready for the show to be over. At least that’s what we anticipated. So, we did not give him a clip package. We did not give him nominations to read”.
Oppenheimer triumphed in the ‘Best Picture’ category over contenders such as Alexander Payne’s Holdovers, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Filmmaker Christopher Nolan also walked away with the award for ‘Best Director’, while lead actor Cillian Murphy claimed ‘Best Leading Actor’.
Watch Al Pacino announce the ‘Best Picture’ winner from the 2024 Oscar ceremony below.
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