Embarrassing mishap at the Oscars
Worrying performance from Al Pacino
Al Pacino declared “Oppenheimer” the evening’s big winner in the most unspectacular way possible.
© Kevin Winter/Getty Images North America
On stage at the 96th Academy Awards, Hollywood legend Al Pacino appeared confused and forgot an important part of the Oscar ceremony.
The Oscar for “Best Film” is considered the most important of the entire awards ceremony. But at the 96th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, the Hollywood legend announced Al Pacino (83) didn’t cut a particularly good figure in the most important moment of the evening on March 10th. The 83-year-old “The Godfather” and “Scarface” star seemed to search for words several times on the stage of the Dolby Theater, then skipped reading out the ten nominated films and finally explained Christopher Nolan’s (53) “Oppenheimer” in the conceivable way most unspectacular way to the big winner of the evening.
Al Pacino searches for words at the Oscars
“This is the time for the final award of the evening and it is an honor to present it,” Pacino began the Best Picture Oscar. Then, for the first time, the star appeared to consider what to say next, as in one available on YouTube Video from the Oscar TV channel ABC can be seen.
After Pacino’s statement that “ten wonderful films” were nominated, but only one “will receive the award for best film”, the reading of the nominated works such as “Barbie”, “Killers of the Flower Moon”, “Maestro” or the eventual winner “Oppenheimer”. This is a tradition in Hollywood and honors the best films of the past year – even if only one ultimately takes home the coveted Oscar trophy.
Social media users complain about “anticlimactic way of revealing the winner”
But Pacino skipped this important step and instead immediately opened the winning envelope with the stammered words “I have to go to the envelope… and I will… here it comes.” To great laughter in the hall, he declared relatively calmly: “And my eyes see Oppenheimer.” There was initially hardly any reaction to this in the Dolby Theater, but then applause gradually broke out and the music started.
Pacino, who seemed slightly confused, added a “yes, yes” at this point, as if to confirm that he had actually just read out the winning film. Of course, it didn’t offer the usual tension in the most important moment of the evening, as some users on social networks noticed. “I wish Al had read all the nominees first. I was looking forward to seeing the highlight clips and a bit of excitement,” wrote according to “Hollywood Reporter” about a user. Another said: “What a strange, anticlimactic way to reveal the winner. Everyone was amazed.”