Al Pacino Sounds-Off on Best Picture Oscars Controversy

On Sunday, Al Pacino presented the final award of the night at the 2024 Oscars.

Pacino had everyone talking since he didn’t read off any of the nominees.

Instead, he only named the winner, 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.”

One day later, Pacino is weighing on the moment.

In a statement, Al said, “There seems to be some controversy about my not mentioning every film by name last night... 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 honored to be a part of the evening and chose to follow the way they wished for this award to be presented.”

While Pacino was on stage, none of the nominee clips were played in the essence of time.

He added, “I realize being nominated is a huge milestone in one’s life and to not be fully recognized is offensive and hurtful. I say this as someone who profoundly relates with filmmakers, actors, and producers so I deeply empathize with those who have been slighted by this oversight, and it’s why I felt it necessary to make this statement.”

The show’s producer Molly McNearney also opened up on what happened, even apologizing to Pacino!

She told Variety, “It was a creative decision we made because we were very worried that the show was going to be long. By the time you get to the end of the show, you’ve seen all ten 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… I apologize if our decision to not have to read through all those nominations put him in a tough spot.”