Al Pacino has addressed the controversial moment that occurred while he was presenting the award for Best Picture at the Oscars.
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The Scarface star didn’t seem to follow the traditional process of reading out the full list of nominees before announcing that Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer. Instead, he skipped straight to opening the envelope.
Pacino, who is a nine-time Oscar nominee and a recipient himself, walked out onstage accompanied by the theme to The Godfather before saying: “10 wonderful films were nominated, but only one will take the award for Best Picture. And I have to go to the envelope for that, and I will.”
The Hollywood star then cryptically announced: “And my eyes see Oppenheimer”, met with a moment of quiet and some hesitant applause. Despite it being the favourite to win, it was only when Pacino began to list the names of the crew and the film’s dramatic score by Ludwig Göransson filled the theatre, that the proper applause erupted.
The slip-up drew criticism for failing to recognise the films that had been nominated. Despite that the Oscars featured standalone VTs highlighting each movie, which were staggered throughout the evening.
Now, Pacino has apologised for any offence he might have caused. “I just want to be clear it was not my intention to omit them, rather a choice by the producers not to have them said again since they were highlighted individually throughout the ceremony,” he said.
“I was honoured to be a part of the evening and chose to follow the way they wished for this award to be presented.
“I realise being nominated is a huge milestone in one’s life and to not be fully recognised is offensive and hurtful.”
He added that that as someone who “profoundly relates with filmmakers, actors and producers,” he “deeply empathise[s] with those who have been slighted by this oversight.”
Oppenheimer also won the awards for Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score.
In Murphy’s acceptance speech for his portrayal of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, he dedicated his award to “peacemakers everywhere”.
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