Andrea Riseborough might be feeling like she’s used up a significant amount of luck, following reports the Academy will not rescind her Best Actress nomination for To Leslie.
The English actress had been put in a spot of bother over accusations of her essentially canvassing for votes to get a nomination at this year’s awards. Riseborough appeared to have hired a PR agency to pump out more screenings of To Leslie to those eligible to vote, including several high profile and glowing reviews from Academy members.
Criticism leveled at her believes this is not becoming or suitable for an industry award, but depending on who you ask, this is pretty much how all industry awards work behind the scenes. Riseborough’s independent film grossed just $27,000, but had no struggle in getting major actors to sing its praises online.
Riseborough needn’t worry about losing her nomination, with an Academy investigation yielding no axing for the esteemed actress from the 2023 ceremony.
“The Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film’s nomination should be rescinded. However, we did discover social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern. These tactics are being addressed with the responsible parties directly.”
There’s a prickly level surrounding this situation, especially once you start to think about how movie studios themselves push and canvass to win awards. Hiring a PR firm definitely sounds poor for an actress of Riseborough’s status, but all movies have massive firms behind their marketing. An independent release such as To Leslie essentially requires it and close allies of those involved to get the word out.