In about a month, lots of little gold boys will change hands again. Before the Oscars, however, the nominees traditionally get together for lunch. This time there is apparently a favorite star – and a clear bogeyman.
A good month before the Oscars on March 12, 2023, all the nominees met for the traditional lunch. 186 filmmakers gathered in the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles to celebrate. They were also briefed for the upcoming gala.
According to the “Hollywood Reporter”, one guest eclipsed everyone: Tom Cruise. The 60-year-old is not nominated as an actor, but nominated as a producer of “Top Gun: Maverick”. It would be his first Academy Award.
A veritable crowd of people is said to have formed around Tom Cruise. Several first-time nominees who have never met the actor in person reportedly queued up to shake his hand and snap selfies with him. Seasoned comrades-in-arms like director Steven Spielberg – nominated for “The Fabelmans” – embraced the famous colleague.
Among the cruise fans was a real Nobel Prize winner. Malala Yousafzai was invited to support the short documentary “Stranger at the Gate”. Employees guided the Pakistani child rights activist, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, to the star, who gave her a warm welcome.
Janet Yang, on the other hand, addressed a topic that has hung like a shadow over the Oscars at her first luncheon as President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Sciences: the slap Will Smith gave presenter Chris Rock last year. She thinks it’s important in this circle to “address some of the challenges the Academy has faced over the past year,” Yang said.
“As I’m sure you all remember, we witnessed an unprecedented event at the Oscars. What happened on stage was totally unacceptable and the response from the organization was inadequate,” said the 66-year-old. She didn’t mention the name Will Smith explicitly, but everyone should have known what was meant. “We must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions, especially in times of crisis,” Yang said. “We must act quickly, compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry.”
Yang also urged potential winners to keep their acceptance speeches brief. She reminded that only 45 seconds are allowed. This is the only way to get the award ceremony through in a reasonable amount of time without excluding some filmmakers. Last year, the decision to have breakfast in some categories before the live show caused resentment in the industry. This time, all winners will again be honored live.
