Who is Andrea Riseborough and why do so many actors want her nominated?

Pretty much any decent film will have a few critics that support it. I'm talking more about the bodies that vote for awards. Granted, there are dozens and dozens of these awards, so I might have missed a few, but I can think of twenty films that have done better in terms of collecting awards and kudos this year than To Leslie.

And her supporters aren't just saying she's good, they are calling her performance the best thing they have ever seen. You'd think if she were that good there would have been more hype, regardless of the budget of the film.

 

Does Maron actually pull off a southern accent? I need to see it just for that!

 

Article about the campaign in the Guardian: ‘Masterpiece of a film’: why is every A-lister trying to get To Leslie an Oscar?

 

I’ve seen To Leslie twice, and:

1) She is fantastic in this role

2) Despite what one might read about the subject matter, it’s NOT a depressing movie

3) It has Bubbles from The Wire in it!!!


Why is there such a campaign for it? I have no idea. But maybe part of it is trying to champion something that not a lot of people have seen. Most of the candidates for the acting nominations are in movies that much of the voting body have seen - and it does feel good to promote something of quality that has been little-seen.

 

There's an online magazine called Puck that has published an article alleging that the Academy is looking into irregularities in the Riseborough Oscar campaign. Here's a link: Was the Andrea Riseborough Oscar Campaign Illegal?

Basically, the author says that there are potentially several rules that it seems the Riseborough campaign might have violated, and that it would be a good idea for the Academy to clamp down on this to prevent chaos next year. To that end, the Board of Governors is having a regular meeting next Tuesday and plan to discuss it (and are not commenting on it right now).

The article calls out two policies they might have violated.

Rule 10 involves excessive lobbying. "Contacting Academy members directly and in a manner outside of the scope of these rules to promote a film or achievement for Academy Award consideration is expressly forbidden."

Mary McCormack, who seems to be the mastermind behind the campaign, and who is also the wife of To Leslie's director, Michael Morris, really pushed the envelope here. She sent emails to dozens of actors with this text: “If you’re willing to post every day between now and Jan 17th, that would be amazing! But anything is helpful, so please do whatever makes you comfortable. And what’s more comfortable than posting about a movie every day!” Of course, what's important is how much the people who were organizing the official To Leslie campaign were also involved, but she couldn't be much closer to them, could she?

There is precedent. In 2014, the Academy rescinded a nomination for composer Bruce Boughton after he bulk mailed 70 members of the musicians' branch to publicize his work for Oscar consideration. His excuse? His movie didn't have the money to compete with the big boys and he just wanted his work to be considered. Sounds pretty much exactly like what the Riseborough people are saying.

The board's explanation for their removal of his nomination sounds like it could apply to Riseborough:"“The Academy is dedicated to doing everything it can to ensure a level playing field for all potential Oscar contenders—including those who don’t enjoy the access, knowledge, and influence of a long-standing Academy insider.”

The writer also points out that, for all the claims of poverty by the To Leslie crew, there were bunches of events to screen the film, two top event planners working for the movie, and two PR firms employed as well. Somebody was paying for all that.

There's also another rule that might apply: rule 11. According to the article, if someone violates this rule it can lead to suspension from the Academy. Basically, the rule is that you are not allowed, if you are associated with a film, to use social media, mailings or ads to cast negative light on your competitors. Singling out your competitors by name is also verboten. Frances Fisher could arguably fall afoul of this with her attempts to get people to change their votes away from specific competitors (including Deadwyler and Davis). Provided it can be shown she did this with the approval/knowledge of the PR people running Riseborough's campaign for the movie. To wit: did Fisher REALLY create the slick images used on her Instagram, or did the To Leslie PR firm(s) give them to her?

Sorry for the long post, but I find this fascinating and just feel like there are more layers to this onion than we know.

 

She tends to elevate anything she is in as she is such a good actress. Much better than all these Hollywood lovies that always get nominated.

Not seen this new film though. Last thing I saw was either Mandy or that TV series about drug dealers, ZeroZeroZero.

 

Hollywood Reporter confirms there is an investigation going on:

Oscars: Andrea Riseborough Campaign Leads to Film Academy Review – The Hollywood Reporter

"We... support genuine grassroots campaigns for outstanding performances". OUCH.

 

Film academy reviewing Oscar campaigns after surprise nomination



Op was right.

 

More details in this article, including an official Instagram post (which has now been removed) on the film's Instagram feed that violates rule 11 mentioned above.

Instagram Post for 'To Leslie' Could Be a Factor in Campaign Scrutiny - Variety

LOL - I love how they now use quotes when referring to the "grassroots" campaign.

 

Counters...

Christina Ricci Defends Andrea Riseborough, Slams The Academy Review – Deadline

 

Regardless any merits to the argument that this campaign was merely a way for an indie movie without a major marketing budget to get considered, it does create the potential of the nominating process becoming completely turned on its head starting next year. It doesn’t seem to me like nominations should be based upon social media campaigns, as that would have the effect of delegitimizing the Academy Awards much further than they already have been. I can understand why the Academy would be concerned about that happening. Even though most of the nominations are all about the money, they at least want to try to maintain an air of classiness, and turning the process into a social media popularity contest would completely destroy that.

 

“any tactic that singles out ‘the competition’ by name or titles is expressly forbidden.”…

The critic’s quote that was in the post mentions another film as being very good, and so it is saying there’s two films worthy of consideration.

 

Counter-counter argument:

Ricci: "So it’s only the films and actors that can afford the campaigns that deserve recognition? Feels elitist and exclusive and frankly very backward to me.”

She is arguing that the objection is that a cash poor film got a nomination? Yeah, that's not the issue at all. If I, for instance, made a film that made $27,000 at the box office, I would have zero chance of getting a nomination for anyone in my film, because I don't know a single Academy member or connected individual. THAT is the objection, and the Academy has explicitly stated they don't want "who you know" to be a gate that determines who gets nominations.

The "spend a ton of money on a campaign" model is far from perfect, but most movies that make a decent revenue can play that game. But very very few movies can play the "call your connected friends and have them game the system" game. And when those connected friends seemingly run roughshod over the rules to get what they want, that is even more of a concern. That's the kind of behavior I would call "elitist and backward".

 

There’s no such thing as bad publicity. Didn’t know the movie. Now I do.

Academy members have been influenced, bought and/or sold (more or less) since movies were still black and white.

I’m having a hard time caring what she did or didn’t do.

 

Not any different than the Grammys. I think in order to vote for someone in a Grammy category you should have to listen to all the nominees first. It should be done online and the Vote button shouldn't be active until you've heard them all. You know that in any of the marginal categories that voters are going by name recognition. It's often why the same people win over and over, 'I don't know anything about Jazz, but I know who Pat Metheny is...check.'

 

There aren't a lot of clips out there so you'll have to see it but here's the trailer for a sample.




It was also reported in Variety yesterday that the Academy aims to address the use of social media in grassroots campaigns but that Riseborough will retain her nomination.

Andrea Riseborough to Keep Best Actress Oscar Nomination - Variety

 

I've only seen her in Oblivion.

 

She's also in The Death of Stalin, Mandy, Possessor, Amsterdam, Birdman and the excellent mini series ZeroZeroZero.

 

I remember her from Mindhorn (2016) which probably got even less distribution than To Leslie. It’s a crime comedy from the minds of Julian Barratt (Mighty Boosh) and Simon Farnaby (Ghosts). She’s good of course but it’s just a fun silly send-up of British crime dramas.

 

Her performance in Possessor was astonishing. If awards ceremonies weren't so biased against genre pictures, she should have wiped the floor with every other actress that year. Shame all this controversy has been heaped onto someone with genuine talent.

 

So studios can buy ad space, mail screeners to Academy members, and whatever else the Weinstein brothers did to get some of their garbage as many nominations/awards as possible; but if an individual actress uses her network of friends to send a few tweets it's a controversy? This seems like less than nothing.

 

Oscar Scandals: Wills, Chill (The Alamo) | Emanuel Levy

 

I never got the feeling that Chill Wills' attempts to get an Oscar were a "scandal" so much as a pathetic attempt by an older actor to get an award he probably realized he'd never have a chance of getting again. As the article mentions, he quickly became a joke around Hollywood for his efforts. I don't think he had insider help like Riseborough seems to have gotten, he was merely absolutely shameless in his own efforts to publicize himself.

 

The Weinstein Company's "garbage."

1990: My Left Foot (Best Actor—Daniel Day-Lewis, Best Supporting Actress—Brenda Fricker)

1991: Journey of Hope (Best Foreign Language Film)

1992: Mediterraneo (Best Foreign Language Film)

1993: The Crying Game (Best Original Screenplay—Neil Jordan)

1994: The Piano (Best Original Screenplay—Jane Campion, Best Actress—Holly Hunter, Best Supporting Actress—Anna Paquin)

1995: Pulp Fiction (Best Original Screenplay—Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary)

1996: Restoration (Best Costume Design—James Acheson, Best Production Design—Eugenio Zanetti); The Postman (Best Original Score—Luis Enríquez Bacalov)

1997: The English Patient (Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress—Juliette Binoche, Best Art Direction—Stuart Craig and Stephanie McMillan, Best Cinematography—John Seale, Best Costume Design—Anne Roth, Best Director—Anthony Minghella, Best Film Editing—Walter Murch, Best Original Score—Gabriel Yared, Best Sound —Walter Murch, Mark Berger, David Parker and Christopher Newman), Sling Blade (Best Adapted Screenplay—Billy Bob Thornton), Emma (Best Original Score—Rachel Portman)

1998: Good Will Hunting (Best Supporting Actor—Robin Williams, Best Original Screenplay—Ben Affleck and Matt Damon)

1999: Shakespeare in Love (Best Picture, Best Actress—Gwyneth Paltrow, Best Supporting Actress—Judi Dench, Best Art Direction—Martin Childs and Jill Quertier, Best Costume Design—Sandy Powell, Best Original Musical or Comedy Score—Stephen Warbeck, Best Original Screenplay—Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard), Life Is Beautiful (Best Actor—Roberto Benigni,

Best Foreign Language Film, Best Music, Original Dramatic Score—Nicola Piovani)

2000: Cider House Rules (Best Actor in a Supporting Role—Michael Caine, Best Adapted Screenplay—John Irving)

2002: Iris (Best Actor in a Supporting Role—Jim Broadbent)

2003: Chicago (Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress—Catherine Zeta-Jones, Best Art Direction—John Myhre, Gordon Sim, Best Costume Design—Colleen Atwood, Best Film Editing—Martin Walsh, Best Sound—Michael Minkler, Dominick Tavella and David Lee), The Hours (Best Actress—Nicole Kidman), Frida (Best Makeup—John E. Jackson and Beatrice De Alba, Best Original Score—Elliot Goldenthal)

2004: Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Best Makeup: Peter Owen and Richard Taylor,

Best Original Score: Howard Shore), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (Best Cinematography—Russell Boyd, Best Sound Editing—Richard King), Cold Mountain (Best Supporting Actress—Renée Zellweger), Finding Neverland

2005: The Aviator (Best Supporting Actress—Cate Blanchett, Best Art Direction—Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo, Best Cinematography—Robert Richardson, Best Costume Design—Sandy Powell, Best Film Editing—Thelma Schoonmaker), Finding Neverland (Best Original Score—Jan A. P. Kaczmarek)

2009: The Reader (Best Actress—Kate Winslet), Vicky Christina Barcelona (Best Supporting Actress—Penélope Cruz)

2010: Inglourious Basterds (Best Supporting Actor—Christoph Waltz)

2011: The King's Speech (Best Picture, Best Actor—Colin Firth, Best Director—Tom Hooper, Best Original Screenplay—David Seidler), The Fighter (Best Supporting Actor—Christian Bale, Best Supporting Actress—Melissa Leo)

2012: The Artist (Best Picture, Best Director—Michel Hazanavicius, Best Actor—Jean Dujardin, Best Costume Design—Mark Bridges, Best Original Score—Ludovic Bource), The Iron Lady (Best Actress—Meryl Streep, Best Makeup—Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland), Undefeated (Best Documentary Feature)

2013: Django Unchained (Best Original Screenplay—Quentin Tarantino, Best Supporting Actor—Christoph Waltz), Silver Linings Playbook (Best Actress—Jennifer Lawrence)

2015: Imitation Game (Best Adapted Screenplay—Graham Moore), CitizenFour (Best Documentary Feature)

2016: Hateful Eight (Best Original Score—Ennio Morricone)



He might have been a creep, but he had good taste in films.

 

I appreciate the time you took to compile this post. Don't want to get too far afield from the topic at hand, but I'd like to point out the word "some" in my post. A lot of my all-time favorite movies are in this list you provided...and a few that have aged like ham sandwiches. Also I believe this list must just be the winners, which have certainly aged better than some of the nominations that failed to win. Even before the most recent scandal the Weinsteins were notorious for their Oscar-bait campaigns.