Al Pacino addresses Oscars’ best picture controversy

Los Angeles: Hollywood icon Al Pacino issued a clarification over the way he presented the best picture category at the 2024 Oscars ceremony.

The ceremony, held at the Dolby theatre on Sunday, saw Pacino walk on stage to announce the winner for the final and most important award of the night. But in a rather odd presentation, the veteran actor didn’t list any of the 10 nominees for ‘Best Picture’ and simply opened the envelope, announcing Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ as the winner.

The 83-year-old actor released a statement on Monday, offering clarification about why he didn’t mention the names of the nominees, which also included ‘American Fiction’, ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, ‘Barbie’, ‘The Holdovers’, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’, ‘Maestro’, ‘Past Lives’, ‘Poor Things’ and ‘The Zone of Interest’.

“I just want to be clear: it was not my intention to omit them, but rather a choice by the producers not to have them said again since they were highlighted individually throughout the ceremony. I was honoured to be a part of the evening and chose to follow the way they wished for this award to be presented,” the actor said.

Pacino, who won the Oscar for best actor for 1992’s ‘Scent of a Woman’, said that he is aware that being nominated for an Academy Award is ‘a huge milestone in one’s life and to not be fully recognised is offensive and hurtful’.

“I say this as someone who profoundly relates to filmmakers, actors and producers, so I deeply empathise with those who have been slighted by this oversight and that’s why I felt it was necessary to make this statement,” he added.