The Oscar Academy, which will award the world’s most important film prize on March 12, had made the 41-year-old’s candidate status the subject of an investigation. An approach that had brought much criticism to the institution.
So threw her Hollywood star Christina Ricci (“wednesday”) before, from a “elitist attitude” out to cast doubt on Riseborough and her performance. Mockery spilled over the Academy yesterday, with one portal quipping in a headline: “Riseborough: not guilty”.
Inexpensive help from Stars
When the nominations were announced on January 24, even in Europe, the industry didn’t have Riseborough on the radar for those Oscar honors. “To Leslie” is a small independent film (grossing US$27,000) in which the actress from Newcastle (“Birdman”) plays a Texan who wins the lottery and runs her money through in record time.
The film was not on the start list in Austria, was not noticed in PR and advertising campaigns or in Hollywood reporting. An unparalleled surprise, since a nomination without massive investment of money, lobbying and sometimes pressure from studios is hardly successful.
The Academy wanted to make sure that Riseborough didn’t break the rules for Oscar campaigns – probably out of anticipatory obedience to big players who didn’t get as far with a lot of time and money as Riseborough did with inexpensive, prominent support on the net – from Kate Winslet to Edward Norton, which they praised.
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I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.