Academy Reviewing Oscar Rules After Online Campaign For Andrea Riseborough

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 overview of its personal marketing campaign insurance policies to find out if voting tips “were violated,” per Individuals. Whereas it didn’t identify her, the information got here simply three days after Riseborough’s surprising nod for finest actress.

“It is the Academy’s goal to ensure that the Awards competition is conducted in a fair and ethical manner,” the Academy stated in a press release obtained by a number of shops.

“We are conducting a review of the campaign procedures around this year’s nominees, to ensure that no guidelines were violated,” it continued, “and to inform us whether changes to the guidelines may be needed in a new era of social media and digital communication.”

Although Riseborough had already acquired 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 of her a front-runner for finest actress this 12 months.

“I’m astounded,” she instructed Deadline shortly after the nomination. “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.”

Lots 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 essentially the most distinguished star to double down after the overview was introduced.

“Seems hilarious that the ‘surprise nomination’ (meaning tons of money wasn’t spent to position this actress) of a legitimately brilliant performance is being met with an investigation,” she wrote in a now-deleted Instagram put up, per Deadline.

Nonetheless, Selection famous that an official “To Leslie” Instagram web page might have violated Academy tips two weeks in the past. A since-deleted put up quoted movie critic Richard Roeper likening the performances of Riseborough and Cate Blanchett, who’s nominated for her work in “Tár.”

In accordance with the principles, “any tactic that singles out ‘the competition’ by name or titles is expressly forbidden.” (By the way, Blanchett used her Critics Alternative 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 least three to voters, Selection reported.

Ought to the Academy rescind Riseborough’s nomination, simply 4 rivals would stay: Blanchett (“Tár”), Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) and Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”).

The ninety fifth Academy Awards will air March 12 on ABC.