Academy Conducting Review of Oscars Campaign Rules After Surprise Andrea Riseborough Nomination
Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage Andrea Riseborough
Days after Andrea Riseborough scored a surprise Oscar nomination following a grassroots social media campaign from fellow actors, a review is being conducted of the awards' rules for online campaigning.
The To Leslie star, 41, is nominated for Best Actress at the upcoming 95th Academy Awards alongside Cate Blanchett (Tár), Ana de Armas (Blonde), Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans) and Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once). Many considered Till's Danielle Deadwyler and The Woman King's Viola Davis to have been notable snubs from the category. Both scored BAFTA Award nominations in the same category days prior, though Oscar nominations are not always mirrored.
Prior to the announcement, most Oscars experts hadn't listed the British actress as a frontrunner for a nomination (though she earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination), but a last-minute campaign from celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet and Edward Norton boosted her during the voting period.
On Friday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in a statement that it will review its policies about campaigning and see if updates need to be made in the modern social media age.
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"It is the Academy's goal to ensure that the Awards competition is conducted in a fair and ethical manner, and we are committed to ensuring an inclusive awards process," it said in a statement. "We are conducting a review of the campaign procedures around this year's nominees, to ensure that no guidelines were violated and to inform us whether changes to the guidelines may be needed in a new era of social media and digital communication."
The Academy added, however, "We have confidence in the integrity of our nomination and voting procedures, and support genuine grassroots campaigns for outstanding performances."
Reps for Riseborough did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment.
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Everett Andrea Riseborough in To Leslie (2022)
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Ahead of her Oscar nod, Riseborough was previously left off of similar 2023 show nomination lists, including the Golden Globe Awards, Critics Choice Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards. And as she told Deadline following her Oscar-nomination news Tuesday, "I'm astounded."
"It's such an unexpected ray of light," she continued. "It was so hard to believe it might ever happen because we really hadn't been in the running for anything else. Even though we had a lot of support, the idea it might actually happen seemed so far away."
To Leslie, directed by longtime TV producer and director Michael Morris (Better Call Saul) in his feature film directorial debut, follows a single mother in Texas seeking redemption years after she squandered her sizable lottery winnings.
Norton, Winslet and Paltrow were among the significant number of fellow actors who have praised To Leslie — and in particular, Riseborough's performance — on social media. Norton, Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Charlize Theron, Sarah Paulson and Courteney Cox all hosted screenings of the movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Riseborough also told Deadline she's "not entirely sure how the f--- this happened" when asked about how much support she has gotten for her performance, explaining, "After SXSW there was a quiet lull. And then slowly, as the film had a few screenings elsewhere — including at Raindance, which was a big deal because we hadn't had a release in the U.K. — we found people were starting to talk about it."
"And people were asking us, 'Why can I not go and see it? Where can I see it?' After a while, we were able to point them to iTunes and Amazon, but it didn't happen right away," she said.
The actress also addressed the challenge of "break(ing) through the noise" but admitted, "often it's just impossible to compete with millions of dollars of advertising."
"Every year, for some reason, there are spotlights shining brighter in some places than in others, and maybe it is just all to do with money, though I try not to be cynical in that way," Riseborough said. "It has been special to feel so supported by the community — especially by actors — and to feel like the work has broken through that. It's really not something I've ever experienced before."
The 95th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be held March 12 and televised live on ABC.
