Summary
- Al Pacino's abrupt Best Picture announcement at the 2024 Oscars was orchestrated by producers to streamline the show.
- Pacino clarifies that he was instructed to omit nominees, apologizing for any offense caused by not having every film read out.
- Event producer Molly McNearney explains the decision to skip reading nominees was to prevent the show from being too long, not anticipating the public response.
Al Pacino has clarified his weird Best Picture announcement at the 2024 Oppenheimer won Best Picture, the actor did not read out the names of the rest of the nominees. This was an atypical moment, as nominees for every category are usually read before the winner is announced.
Now, winner announcement at the 2024 Oscars was something he'd been instructed to do for the show. Event producer Molly McNearney also defended the actor, revealing it was a decision made to keep the ceremony from being too long. Check out what Pacino and McNearney had to say below:
Al Pacino: I 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 honoured to be a part of the evening and chose to follow the way they wished for this award to be presented. I realise being nominated is a huge milestone in one’s life and to not be fully recognised is offensive and hurtful. 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.
Molly McNearney: It was a creative decision we made because we were very worried that the show was going to be long. By the time you get to the end of the show, you’ve seen all 10 best picture clip packages. 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. I apologise if our decision to not have to read through all those nominations put [Pacino] in a tough spot.
The Nominees For Best Picture Should Have Been Read Aloud
Omitting announcements diminishes the effort put into the nominated films.
Pacino and McNearey’s statements add more context to the Best Picture announcement, better explaining why the presentation was so quick. The announcement had been reminiscent of the 2017 Oscars Best Picture mistake, where La La Land was announced as the winner before it was clarified the highly-rated Moonlight actually won. However, knowing the actor's presentation had been intentional instead makes this an odd executive decision for the event.
Although the nominees for Best Picture had been highlighted throughout the night, films nominated for multiple awards were never omitted from listings in other categories. Making an exception from this for the very last reward unintentionally negates the effort put into films that got nominated. By not reading out how these movies were considered for the largest award at the ceremony, it doesn't directly acknowledge the effort put into making them.
Oppenheimer's Oscars Success Breaks 6 Huge Records & Streaks Going Back 20+ Years
With hit film Oppenheimer taking home seven wins at the 96th Academy Awards, it's interesting to see which Oscar-related records it has now broken.
Thanks to the public response to the Best Picture nominees not being read, the 2025 Oscars will likely reinstate the tradition. However, it still can't bring back the nomination spotlight movies like The Holdovers and American Fiction deserved. Hopefully, due to how odd Pacino's announcement was, viewers will seek out the other nominations and give them the attention they deserve.
Oppenheimer is available to stream on Peacock.
Source: The Guardian
