No Oscars go without some form of drama on stage. While this year the ceremony was relatively less controversial, one moment received much criticism from fans. Actor Al Pacino was invited on stage to present the award for Best Picture.
While no Envelope Gate (La La Land being announced instead of Moonlight) occurred, Al Pacino reportedly missed one key part of the presentation. The usual tradition is to read out the nominees first and then announce the winner. But the 83-year-old veteran reportedly skipped the nominations and went straight to announce the winner i.e. Oppenheimer.
Al Pacino Makes A Grave Error While Announcing Oppenheimer’s Oscar Win
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer swept the Oscars this year with seven wins. The film won in the main categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Film Editing. The film was the first won for Christopher Nolan, who had previously been nominated for Dunkirk.
While Nolan was presented the Academy Award by legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg, he and producers Emma Thomas and Charles Roven received the Best Picture Award for The Godfather star Al Pacino. The actor was invited to the stage to present the award and began his speech in his signature quirky way. He said,
“It is the time for the last award of the evening and it is my honor to present it. Ten wonderful films were nominated but only one will take the award for Best Picture. I will have to go to the envelope for that. And I will. Here it comes. And my eyes see Oppenheimer.”
While his awkward yet funny presentation got a few laughs from the audience, fans were quick to note that Al Pacino had forgotten to talk about the rest of the nominees and had gone straight for the winner. This was not the usual tradition of the Oscar and reportedly even led to the ceremony ending early.
Fans Have A Divided Response For Al Pacino’s Nonchalant Announcement
When Al Pacino came on stage to present the award for Best Picture, he skipped talking about the nominees and went straight for the winner, moving past an important tradition at the Academy Awards. The other nominees included The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, The Zone of Interest, Barbie, Poor Things, Past Lives, Anatomy of a Fall, and Maestro.
While some fans criticized The Irishman actor’s delivery, many also came in support of him due to his old age.
Give the man a break he was tired he is 83 😂😂😂😂
— Alex (@AlexAuer22338) March 11, 2024
My mans is 83, it’s daylight savings and we ALL ready to go home fr lmaoo.
— The Nostalgia Queen (@Snow_Blacck) March 11, 2024
I loved it 😂😎🔥😂🫡
He's attended about 40 of these awards 😂 he was tired
— naza🇬🇧 (@Real_IsyChi) March 11, 2024
The Goat does what he wants
— JJ ❼ (@JJRMA17) March 11, 2024
Didn’t Elizabeth Taylor do that at the Golden Globes in 2001?
— Starwolf Oakley (@starwolf_oakley) March 11, 2024
I think The Academy announced them through out the night
— Courtney(Taylor’s Verison) SEEN TAYLOR SWIFT 7/8 (@ohsnapitskourt) March 11, 2024
While Al Pacino’s presentation may be subject to meme material in the coming days and was an unceremonious end to Oppenheimer’s brilliant run in the evening, the film still had plenty of glory to soak in. Christopher Nolan won his first Academy Award for Best Director, as did Robert Downey Jr. and Cillian Murphy for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor respectively.
