Academy will not 'rescind' Andrea Riseborough's Oscar nomination for 'To Leslie', says CEO Bill Kramer
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA: Academy has issued its verdict on the Andrea Riseborough controversy after the English actress stunned everyone with her unexpected Oscar nomination. On Tuesday, January 31, the official statement made by the body announced that it will not be withdrawing, instead noting 'tactics that caused concern.’ The statement came after The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science announced that a review is in progress to determine the awards' rules for online campaigning.
"Based on concerns that surfaced last week around the To Leslie awards campaign, the Academy began reviewing the film's campaigning tactics. The Academy has determined that the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film's nomination should be rescinded," Bill Kramer, Academy CEO said in a statement. He continued, "However, we did discover social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern. These tactics are being addressed with the responsible parties directly.”
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The statement also addressed the need for the review and its relevance, "The purpose of the Academy's campaign regulations is to ensure a fair and ethical awards process—these are core values of the Academy. Given this review, it is apparent that components of the regulations must be clarified to help create a better framework for respectful, inclusive, and unbiased campaigning.”
Support for Andrea Riseborough’s nomination
There have been online comments in support of Andrea Riseborough’s nomination for ‘To Leslie,’ including fellow actors who appealed that it should not be taken back at any cost. Actress Christina Ricci, who later deleted her Instagram post said, "Seems hilarious that the 'surprise nomination' (meaning tons of money wasn't spent to position this actress) of a legitimately brilliant performance is being met with an investigation."
‘Feels elitist and exclusive’
Costar Maron said, “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. "So it's only the films and actors that can afford the campaigns that deserve recognition? Feels elitist and exclusive and frankly very backward to me. Because I guess it so threatens their system to where they're completely bought out by corporate interests in the form of studios,” the 59-year-old said in his January 30 WTF podcast episode, according to People. Maron ended the show by saying, "But I'm glad the Academy — at the behest of special interest and corporate interest and just paranoia about how they look — are doing an investigation. Who gives a f***."