Hollywood megastar breaks silence on ‘offensive’ moment at the Oscars

It was the jaw-dropping faux pas that overshadowed Hollywood’s night of nights and now the megastar responsible has spoken.

Al Pacino has broken his silence following the furore over his presentation of the coveted Best Picture award at the Oscars.

The Scarface actor, who appeared during Sunday’s star-studded ceremony to present the top honour, went about his presenting duties in an unconventional manner.

Instead of building the tension and suspense by naming each of the 10 nominees — as every other presenter before him had — the Godfather star just blurted out the winning motion picture: Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.

Al Pacino’s unconventional method of announcing the top gong caused a stir. Picture: Getty

But according to the actor, 83, the Academy had not asked him to name the other nominees up for the Oscar, the New York Post reported.

“There seems to be some controversy about my not mentioning every film by name last night before announcing the Best Picture award,” Pacino told The New York Post in a statement.

“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.

“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.

“I say this as someone who profoundly relates with filmmakers, actors and producers so I deeply empathise with those who have been slighted by this oversight and it’s why I felt it necessary to make this statement.”

Oppenheimer was named Best Picture, beating out a strong field of films. Picture: Getty

Pacino, himself an Oscar winner, was supposed to reunite with his Scarface co-star Michelle Pfeiffer onstage, however she dropped out at the eleventh hour.

The Scent of a Woman actor’s explanation was vouched for by Oscar producers.

“It was a creative decision we made because we were very worried that the show was going to be long,” producer Molly McNearney told Variety.

“By the time you get to the end of the show, you’ve seen all 10 Best Picture clip packages. People just want to hear who wins, and they’re pretty ready for the show to be over. At least that’s what we anticipated.

“So, we did not give him a clip package. We did not give him nominations to read. I apologise if our decision to not have to read through all those nominations put him in a tough spot.”

Al Pacino has defended his presentation, saying it’s what producers intended. Picture: Getty

Pacino’s approach didn’t seem to dampen the spirit of the cast. Picture: Getty

While presenting the award on Sunday, Pacino’s abrupt announcement took some by surprise inside LA’s Dolby Theatre.

“This is the time for the last award of the evening, and it’s my honour to present it. Ten wonderful films were nominated, but only one will take the award for Best Picture,” he said while fumbling to open the envelope.

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

The Cillian Murphy-led three-hour epic, which was nominated for 13 awards, took home the top prize, beating out American Fiction, Barbie, Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Poor Things, The Zone of Interest, Killers of the Flower Moon, Past Lives and Maestro.

This story originally appeared in The New York Post and is reproduced here with permission.

Originally published as Hollywood megastar breaks silence on ‘offensive’ moment at the Oscars