The Academy’s rules surrounding the nomination process could have been violated when they campaigned to give Andrea Riseborough a nod.
The nominations for the Oscar ceremony 2023 didn’t deliver too many surprises, but an unexpected star was nominated for Best Actress Andrea Riseboroughwho took credit for her performance in To Lesley. While the nomination was by no means understated, a new report suggests an investigation is underway to determine whether a viral campaign violated the Academy’s guidelines around “lobbying.” If it appears that rules have been broken, the nomination may be declared invalid.
As part of the Academy’s eligibility guidelines, only a small amount of direct contact is allowed with members voting on nominations to avoid allegations of favoritism. According to a report by Pukthe Academy is investigating whether a late-night push for a nomination is due To Lesley The wife of director Michael Morris, involved in launching a social media campaign and arranging private screenings for many of her celebrity friends, such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Edward Norton and Amy Adams, is in violation of the guidelines.
Some immediately raised an eyebrow when Riseborough’s name was announced, since she and the film have not been nominated for any of the other recent awards, including the Golden Globes, and expected possible nominees such as Viola Davis, Lesley Manville or Margot. Robbie was all thought to have a much higher chance of Oscar glory.
The Oscars received backlash from the director after the film’s lack of nominations
While this year’s Oscar nominations were lauded for the record number of Asian nominees, the lack of representation in other areas sparked a wave of criticism. This included Until director Chinonye Chukwu, who shared her thoughts on her Instagram and berated the Academy for ignoring the film. In the statement, Chukwu said:
“We live in a world and work in industries so aggressively committed to preserving whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny toward black women. And alas. I am forever grateful for the greatest lesson of my life – no matter what challenges may arise or obstacles, I will always have the strength to cultivate my own joy, and it is this joy that will remain one of my greatest forms of resistance.”
While some claimed so Until, and other films rejected by this year’s nomination lists just weren’t good enough to qualify for the top prizes, the campaign that seemingly led to Riseborough’s nomination is the only thing that has caused problems for the process of the Academy. As long as the suggestion that the social media direct campaign was the only reason To Lesley and his star is noticed, the controversy surrounding the nomination will not subside.
However, if we look beyond the controversy of the social media campaign, that’s the truth To Lesley maybe not many people have been shouting about it from the rooftops. Still, it received a near-perfect rating from critics Rotten tomatoes, with Riseborough’s performance being labeled outstanding. Whether that adds weight to the actress’s claim to the nomination over misconduct allegations will only be decided by the investigation.