Al Pacino has insisted he wasn’t to blame for the “hurtful” presentation of the Academy Award for best picture.
The 83-year-old actor broke tradition at the Oscars over the weekend as he announced 'Oppenheimer' as the winner without recapping all 10 nominees before revealing which movie was taking home the trophy.
During the ceremony, he teased: "Here it comes. And my eyes see 'Oppenheimer.'"
In a statement following the event, he told Variety: “There seems to be some controversy about my not mentioning every film by name last night before announcing the best picture award.
“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.
"I realise 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 empathise with those who have been slighted by this oversight and it’s why I felt it necessary to make this statement."
Meanwhile, Oscars producer Molly McNearney has explained that the decision not to list all nominees was a "creative decision" made because of concerns "the show was going to be long".
She told the outlet: “By the time you get to the end of the show, you’ve seen all 10 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.
"So, we did not give him a clip package. We did not give him nominations to read. I apologise if our decision to not have to read through all those nominations put him in a tough spot.”
However, she did blame Pacino himself for his wording as he opened the envelope, which left everyone unsure of what was going on.
She added: “That made it a little confusing. But listen, that’s the excitement of live television. You never know what you’re going to get exactly!”
