The Academy Awards ceremony has been one of the most auspicious occasions for Hollywood stars, and it often turns out to present the most memorable moments of the year. But at times, even the Oscars can turn into disasters, like when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in 2022.
But before the 2022 Oscar slapgate scandal, there was another disastrous Oscar ceremony hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway in 2011. Apparently, the blind date-like duo was blamed for making the event uncomfortable. Further, writers and producers even blamed Franco’s red flag-type difficult attitude for the mess.
James Franco And Anne Hathaway’s Disastrous Oscar Gig
In the history of the Academy Awards ceremony, nothing seems more uncomfortable than James Franco and Anne Hathaway’s 2011 Oscar gig. While most people remember Oscar ceremonies, they seem to have voluntarily blocked the disastrous onstage pairing of Franco and Hathaway, out of their minds.
Although producers hoped to give the young actors a chance to host the Academy Awards, they received extreme criticism from viewers, notably due to the stars’ lack of chemistry. Even Oscars writer David Wild criticized the duo for creating awkward moments. Speaking with The Ringer, Wild shared,
“It was like the world’s most uncomfortable blind date between the cool rocker stoner kid and the adorable theater camp cheerleader.”
David Wild even mentioned during the interview, how shocked he was upon learning that the producers had chosen two young faces to lead the ceremony. Despite initially having Justin Timberlake as the unofficial first choice, when the producers decided to go with James Franco and Anne Hathaway, Wild was stunned.
James Franco’s Difficult Attitude Was Labeled as a Red Flag
Eventually, when the duo appeared on stage, Anne Hathaway brought her nervousness and James Franco tried recording the whole thing with his phone, which obviously turned into a live experiment gone wrong. Along came their lack of chemistry which unfortunately turned the whole ceremony quite awkward and uncomfortable.
But the awkward moment between the actors didn’t surface after they appeared on stage. Instead, according to David Wild, James Franco and Anne Hathaway had troubles since their rehearsals. Co-writer Jordan Rubin revealed to The Ringer, how Franco’s difficult attitude during the rehearsals later created the mess during the live ceremony.
“Anne made herself readily available…but [Franco] always seemed to be on a flight and it was very hard for me to get a hold of him. That was a red flag.”
Skipping rehearsals, when the duo showed up and started filming, they began portraying different personalities. While Hathaway appeared committed, James Franco looked more casual. Therefore, Anne Hathaway tried offering Franco a stray acting note during rehearsals, which ended up miserably, as the actor openly slammed her.
“[she] was like ‘Maybe you should try that,’ and he was like ‘Don’t tell me how to be funny,’”
After all this, Anne Hathaway and James Franco were supposed to end up creating a mess onstage. And certainly, they turned Hollywood’s most prestigious award ceremony into one of the most awkward events of all time.
