Andrea Riseborough’s latest Oscar nomination has delighted followers — and seemingly perturbed the Academy.
On Friday, the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences introduced a evaluation of its personal marketing campaign insurance policies to find out if voting pointers “had been violated,” per Individuals. Whereas it didn’t title her, the information got here simply three days after Riseborough’s sudden nod for greatest actress.
“It’s the Academy’s objective to make sure that the Awards competitors is carried out in a good and moral method,” the Academy stated in a press release obtained by a number of shops.
“We’re conducting a evaluation of the marketing campaign procedures round this 12 months’s nominees, to make sure that no pointers had been violated,” it continued, “and to tell us whether or not modifications to the rules could also be wanted in a brand new period of social media and digital communication.”
Although Riseborough had already obtained an Impartial Spirit Awards nod for “To Leslie,” a drama centered on an alcoholic single mom on the finish of her rope, most Oscar analysts — and Riseborough herself — hadn’t thought-about her a front-runner for greatest actress this 12 months.
“I’m astounded,” she informed Deadline shortly after the nomination. “It was so onerous to consider it would ever occur as a result of we actually hadn’t been within the operating for the rest. Although we had a whole lot of help, the concept it would truly occur appeared so far-off.”
A lot of Riseborough’s friends — together with Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow and Christina Ricci — had taken to social media earlier than the voting interval concluded to efficiently foyer for her nomination. Ricci was probably the most outstanding star to double down after the evaluation was introduced.
“Appears hilarious that the ‘shock nomination’ (that means tons of cash wasn’t spent to place this actress) of a legitimately sensible efficiency is being met with an investigation,” she wrote in a now-deleted Instagram publish, per Deadline.
Nonetheless, Selection famous that an official “To Leslie” Instagram web page could have violated Academy pointers two weeks in the past. A since-deleted publish quoted movie critic Richard Roeper likening the performances of Riseborough and Cate Blanchett, who’s nominated for her work in “Tár.”
In response to the foundations, “any tactic that singles out ‘the competitors’ by title or titles is expressly forbidden.” (By the way, Blanchett used her Critics Selection Awards win earlier this month to reward Riseborough.)
What’s extra, the rules solely permit film studios to buy one e-mail blast per week to advertise their movies — however the “To Leslie” marketing campaign despatched at the very least three to voters, Selection reported.
Ought to the Academy rescind Riseborough’s nomination, simply 4 rivals would stay: Blanchett (“Tár”), Michelle Yeoh (“The whole lot In all places All at As soon as”), Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) and Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”).
The ninety fifth Academy Awards will air March 12 on ABC.