The 'Godfather' actor skips reading the nominees and doesn't wait for a dramatic buildup before opening the envelope to announce 'Oppenheimer' as the winner in the coveted category.
- Mar 11, 2024
AceShowbiz - Al Pacino didn't seem to get the drill before presenting an award at the 2024 Academy Awards. The acting vet has left audience and viewers at home confused as he seemed to rush into announcing the Best Picture winner at the show.
Taking the stage at the Sunday, March 10, the 83-year-old was met with a standing ovation from fellow actors and filmmakers attending the ceremony. He jokingly refrained himself from delivering a cliche introduction and went straight into the award itself.
"This is the time of the last award for the evening," he said of the last and coveted award at the show, which was Best Picture. "Ten wonderful films were nominated, but only one will take the award for best picture," the "Scarface" star said. "And I have to go to the envelope for that, and I will."
Without mentioning the nominees and preceding the winning movie's title by the traditional "and the Oscar goes to," Pacino opened the envelope and read it, "Here it comes. And my eyes see 'Oppenheimer'."
It took a moment for the orchestra to kick in and the crowd to break into an applause, seemingly not convinced by what the "Ocean's Thirteen" actor just said. "Yes, yes," the Academy Award-winning actor said, seemingly confirming "Oppenheimer" as the winner.
The moment has sparked chatter on social media, with many being left disappointed by the anti-climactic announcement. "Wish Al would have read all of the nominees first. I was looking forward to seeing the sizzle reels, and a bit of tension," one viewer reacted on X, formerly Twitter.
"What a weird anti climactic way to reveal the winner. Everyone was like WTF!" another weighed in on the awkward announcement. A third dubbed it the "most anti-climactic oscar win ever." A fourth person summed up Pacino's attitude as, "Sure whatever it's Oppenheimer ok bye bye."
Someone else joked, "Al Pacino had a 7:30pm reservation at Musso & Frank, he needed to move things along," referencing the actor's role in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood".
Despite the confusing moment, Bill Kramer, the chief executive of the Academy, said he was pleased with Pacino's performance. "Everything went beautifully," he said. "He was just having fun up there."
