The controversies marring this year’s Oscars race — including racism on screen and online, and the questionable use of A.I. — bear a striking and sobering similarity to current American politics.
This Oscars season was always going to be less celebratory than usual, coming on the heels of wildfires that devastated Los Angeles for much of January. But a few nominees’ past actions have cast a pall over otherwise historic triumphs.
Here’s a rundown of the publicity crises that have marred what should be a celebratory cap on awards season, ahead of the 97th Academy Awards airing Sunday, March 2 at 7 p.m. on ABC and streaming live on Hulu.
Karla Sofía Gascón’s resurfaced bigoted tweets
For all the controversy surrounding “Emilia Pérez” itself, the Best Actress nomination of star Karla Sofía Gascón was a watershed moment, making the Spanish actress the first openly transgender performer nominated for an Academy Award.
But then her tweets, from as recently as 2020, began to make the rounds. In one, Gascón suggested a ban against Islam and “religions that go against European values and violate human rights.” In another, Gascón referred to George Floyd as “a drug addict and a hustler.” She doubled down on the hatred in another tweet that invoked Hitler.
In her lengthy statement to The Hollywood Reporter halfheartedly apologizing, Gascón said she was sorry “if anyone has ever felt offended” by her words, some of which she attributed to “ignorance or pure mistake.”
Suffice to say, the Best Picture chances for “Emilia Pérez” — which had already proved polarizing for its portrayal of trans people and Mexican culture — swiftly tanked.
Her costars, Best Supporting Actress nominee Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez, as well as Best Director contender Jacques Audiard, have all distanced themselves from the film’s star, who will nevertheless attend Sunday’s Oscars, with distributor Netflix footing the bill.
Fernanda Torres’ resurfaced blackface sketch
The Best Actress nomination of the 59-year-old “I’m Still Here” star was a notable one as Torres is only the second Brazilian ever nominated in the category, taking after her mother Fernanda Montenegro’s historic 1998 nomination for “Central Station,” also directed by Walter Salles.
But the thrill soon took a turn when the newly minted Golden Globe winner made headlines last month for a resurfaced 2008 sketch in Brazilian comedy show, “Fantastico,” in which Torres performed in blackface.
“I am very sorry for this. I’m making this statement as it is important for me to address this swiftly to avoid further pain and confusion,” she said in a statement to Deadline.
Torres said that the “racist history and symbolism of blackface hadn’t yet entered the mainstream public consciousness in Brazil” at the time of the incident but “it’s very clear now … that blackface is never acceptable.”
“The Brutalist” goes electric — or, well, artificial
For all the artistry central to the aesthetic of “The Brutalist,” and the development of its central character — fictional architect László Tóth — people were shocked to learn last month that the post-WWII epic used AI technology.
Academy Award-nominated editor Dávid Jancsó explained to RedShark News that the film sparingly used Ukrainian technology Respeecher to perfect the Hungarian accents of Brody and Best Actress nominee Felicity Jones’, in part due to time and budgetary constraints.
“I am a native Hungarian speaker and I know that it is one of the most difficult languages to learn to pronounce,” said Jancsó. “We coached [Brody and Jones] and they did a fabulous job but we also wanted to perfect it so that not even locals will spot any difference.”
The film also utilized GenAI to show some of Tóth’s work during a career retrospective in the film’s epilogue.
“There’s nothing in the film using AI that hasn’t been done before,” said Jancsó. “It just makes the process a lot faster.”
The Guardian reported that “Emilia Pérez” also used AI to enhance Gascón’s singing voice.
And the winner is… a fraud?
Universal Pictures via AP
This image released by Universal Pictures shows Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande in a scene from the film “Wicked.” (Universal Pictures via AP)
As The Ringer noted late last year, studios have long taken part in the tried and true practice of attempting to “game the system by campaigning a lead performance as a supporting one, or vice versa,” to increase their chances of winning.
This go-round, fingers are pointing at Kieran Culkin for “A Real Pain,” Zoe Saldaña for “Emilia Pérez” and Ariana Grande for “Wicked.” As BBC News pointed out earlier this month, all three actors have near-equal amounts to do as their supposed lead counterparts, yet they were all nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress.
Some might view it as trying to spread the wealth whereas — it’s unlikely both “Emilia Pérez” or “Wicked” leads would have snagged two of the five Best Actress slots each — while others view it as edging out other worthy contenders.
