‘Never supposed to’: Truth behind Al Pacino’s Oscar fumble


There was no envelope mix up at the Oscars yesterdaybut there was some confusion in the audience when Al Pacino announced Oppenheimer had won best picture.

Watch the video above.

The Godfather The star revealed the winner of the night’s top prize by saying, “Ten wonderful films were nominated, but only one will take the award for best picture.

“I have to go to the envelope for that, and I will. Here it comes. And my eyes see Oppenheimer, Yes. Yes.”

READ MORE: The winners, surprises and biggest moments from the 2024 Oscars

Al Pacino announces Oppenheimer as Best Picture of 2024. (ABC America)

READ MORE: Star pulls naked ‘streaker’ stunt at 2024 Oscars

Pacino’s quick and casual announcement seemed to give some in the Dolby Theater pause before the audience began to applaud and the orchestra started playing as the cast and crew of Oppenheimer made their way to the stage.

A source close to production told cnn on Monday that as part of a “predetermined creative decision,” Pacino was “never supposed to announce the nominees” before revealing the winner.

Instead, in an effort to keep the show from running over at the end of the night, clips from several of the best picture nominees ran throughout the Oscars broadcast. (The show ended up finishing early.)

IN PICTURES: All the best looks from the Oscars red carpet

(Supplied)

Pacino was given direction to be fairly swift on the stage, according to this production source, but the way he delivered the line was just Pacino’s own spin.

“The way he announced it at the end was just Al Pacino being Pacino,” the individual said.

Moments before Pacino took the stage, Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel had made a joke about needing to tear up the envelope that had Emma Stone’s name on it for best actress for Poor things, a reference to the best picture mix up of 2017, when La La Land was accidentally named the winner before it was announced that Moonlight had actually won.

READ MORE: Emma Stone makes emotional tribute during Oscars speech

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 10: Emma Stone accepts the Lead Actress award for "Poor Things" onstage during the 96th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theater on March 10, 2024 in Hollywood, California.  (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Emma Stone won the Best Actress category. (Getty)

According to Bill Kramer, chief executive of the Academy, Pacino’s delivery was no repeat of past Oscar drama.

“Everything went beautifully,” Kramer told the New York Times, “He was just having fun up there.”

CNN reached out to representatives for Pacino for comment.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *