Al Pacino explains why Oscars Best Picture presentation was so blunt
Pacino says Oscars producers asked him to omit reading best picture nominess
Al Pacino caused confusion at last nightās Oscars when he announced that Oppenheimer had won Best Picture without first reading out the names of the 10 nominees for the ceremonyās biggest prize.
However, The Godfather actor, 83, has now issued a statement to clarify that he was never asked to do so.
āThere seems to be some controversy about my not mentioning every film by name last night before announcing the best picture award,ā said Pacino. āI just want to be clear it was not my intention to omit them, rather a choice by the producers not to have them said again since they were highlighted individually throughout the ceremony. I was honored to be a part of the evening and chose to follow the way they wished for this award to be presented.
āI realize being nominated is a huge milestone in oneās life and to not be fully recognized is offensive and hurtful. I say this as someone who profoundly relates with filmmakers, actors and producers so I deeply empathize with those who have been slighted by this oversight and itās why I felt it necessary to make this statement.ā
Pacinoās explanation was backed up by Oscars producers.
āIt was a creative decision we made because we were very worried that the show was going to be long,ā producer Molly McNearney told Variety. āBy the time you get to the end of the show, youāve seen all ten best picture clip packages. People just want to hear who wins, and theyāre pretty ready for the show to be over. At least thatās what we anticipated.
āSo, we did not give him a clip package. We did not give him nominations to read. I apologize if our decision to not have to read through all those nominations put him in a tough spot.ā
Pacino added to the confusion by announcing the winner in his own idiosyncratic way.
āHere it comes,ā he said. āAnd my eyes seeā¦ Oppenheimer.ā
āThat made it a little confusing,ā added McNearney, āBut listen, thatās the excitement of live television. You never know what youāre going to get exactly!ā
Host Jimmy Kimmel joked about Pacinoās delivery after the ceremony.
āI guess heās never watched an awards show before,ā Kimmel said. āIt seems like everyone in America knows the rhythm of how itās supposed to goā¦ down to the āAnd the Oscar goes toā¦ā But not Al Pacino! God bless him.ā
Rather than running long, the 2024 Oscars actually came in ahead of schedule. That allowed Kimmel the time to add an unscripted response to Donald Trumpās criticism of his hosting abilities on social media.
āHas there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars,ā Trump wrote. āHis opening was that of a less than average person trying too hard to be something which he is not, and never can beā¦Also a really bad politically correct show tonight, and for years ā Disjointed, boring, and very unfair. Why donāt they just give the Oscars to those that deserve them. Maybe that way their audience and TV ratings will come back from the depths. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!ā
In response, Kimmel joked: āBlah, blah, blah ā¦ OK, now, see if you can guess which former president just posted that on Truth Social. Anyone? No? Well, thank you, President Trump. Thank you for watching, Iām surprised youāre still up ā isnāt it past your jail time?ā
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