Andrea Riseborough is a distinguished actress who has won acclaim for her performances in the United Kingdom. Now a name actress across the Atlantic, she’s made a habit of appearing in quirky independent dramas and horror films. But her latest film has caused quite a stir, but not for anything on screen.
Her latest film To Leslie has seen widespread acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for Riseborough, but not without ruffling feathers within the industry.
Andrea Riseborough’s To Leslie nomination controversy, explained
To Leslie debuted at SXSW in March 2022 to positive reviews, before enduring a seven month wait for a more widespread theatrical release. The box office returns were far from impressive in this awards season vehicle for Riseborough, with the independent film grossing just $27,000 from a budget somewhere in the region below $1 million.
The critical reviews were strong, covering up the disappointing gross – although box office success is hardly the intention with a drama like this. The long game is always the next awards season. When Riseborough was confirmed as one of the nominees for Best Actress in Jan. 2023, it led to an outcry over her perceived canvassing during the voting season for the Oscars. To Leslie got a massive, albeit arguably artificial, word of mouth boost from A-list friends of the cast and crew on social media.
Director Michael Morris and Riseborough hired publicists in order to fuel a Best Actress nomination discussion, with the film very clearly a vehicle for Riseborough to land her first nomination ever. Within the Academy guidelines and laws for voting are anti-lobbying rules to prevent something like this from happening.
The Academy launched an official investigation into the situation days after the nominees were announced, before delivering a verdict on Jan. 31. Despite condemning the use of social media campaigns, the Academy established it would not rescind Riseborough’s nomination. The Academy did confirm their concerns over the campaigning, although this is a slippery slope.
The Academy and all major awards shows fall victim to this in a somewhat different guise, with studios usually the ones to canvass to voters through a website or campaign — albeit less directly. The difference appears to be Morris and Riseborough did it as their public personas, without the façade of a studio.