The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided not to take punitive action against this year’s surprise Best Actress Oscar nominee, Andrea Riseborough, for her grassroots campaign. The performer’s colleagues who also lobbied for her to receive recognition from the Academy for her portrayal of a spiraling alcoholic in the drama To Leslie also won’t be punished, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Oscar campaign that has mounted on behalf of the British actress’s performance in the independent movie has been under investigation since the Academy announced its nominations last Tuesday, January 24. In response to Riseborough’s campaign, the Academy’s CEO, Bill Kramer released a statement, saying: “The Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film’s nomination should be rescinded.”
Kramer later added, “However, we did discover social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern. These tactics are being addressed with the responsible parties directly.”
The decision to keep Riseborough’s nomination in tact came after the Academy’s 54-person board of governors convened for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting. The members put their internal review of the actress’s campaign high on its agenda.
Riseborough’s nomination was called into question in part because few Academy members except those who are part of its actors branch had even heard about To Leslie.
After premiering at last year’s SXSW, the drama garnered acclaim for its main star. But the movie was later picked up for independent distribution by Momentum Pictures, which lacked the resources to give it much of a theatrical release or an awards season push. Another main issue regarding Riseborough’s campaign is that the film has only grossed approximately $27,000 since its release on October 7.
But the To Leslie‘s limited distribution didn’t deter the Academy’s actors branch from nominating Riseborough for the Best Actress trophy. The performer was supported by To Leslie‘s director, Michael Morris; his wife, actress Mary McCormack; and Riseborough’s manager and publicists. They urged their high-profile friends and acquaintances to see the drama and either host a screening or praise the actress’s performance on social media.
Among those famous performers who have praised Riseborough’s work in the movie on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram are Susan Sarandon, Helen Hunt, Zooey Deschanel, Mira Sorvino, Constance Zimmer, Rosie O’Donnell, Alan Cumming and Riseborough’s Birdman co-star, Edward Norton. Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Minnie Driver, Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Adams and Kate Winslet all hosted events for the actress.
Riseborough’s late-breaking campaign wasn’t expected to actually land her an Oscar nomination, however, even though her performance in To Leslie had been nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. Best Actress was generally considered the hardest category to break into at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony. Riseborough was nominated alongside Golden Globe winners Cate Blachett (Tár) and Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once), as well as Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans), Ana de Armas (Blonde).
“I’m astounded,” Riseborough told Deadline shortly after the Oscar nominations were announced. “It was so hard to believe it might ever happen because we really hadn’t been in the running for anything else. Even though we had a lot of support, the idea it might actually happen seemed so far away.”
While any industry insiders have expressed admiration that so many A-list stars supported Riseborough during her Academy Awards campaign, others have criticized her efforts. They noted that not every Oscar hopeful has access to the kind of connections that Riseborough and her supporters do. They also noted that two other seemingly safe Best Actress Academy Award hopefuls – Till‘s Danielle Deadwyler and The Woman King’s Viola Davis – didn’t ultimately end up receiving nominations.
Most acting nominee participates in some kind of Oscar campaign to help highlight their performance and get voters to watch their film. However, there are rules that limit the kinds of events that are held and even how much someone can email promotions to academy members during the voting period.
Most campaigns have veteran strategists behind them and a substantial amount of money. Those pushing Riseborough, though, managed to draw attention to her without such backing. Instead, they counted on their A-list connections to garner attention for her.
As a result of the controversy surrounding Riseborough’s nomination, Kramer indicated in his statement that Academy regulations pertaining to social media endorsements will be tightened in the future: “Given this review, it is apparent that components of the regulations must be clarified to help create a better framework for respectful, inclusive, and unbiased campaigning. These changes will be made after this awards cycle and will be shared with our membership.”
The 95th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled is scheduled to take place on March 12. It will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.