An unexpected Oscar nomination had the Academy (and movie fans) discussing its validity.
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00:00The Academy Awards are still more than a month away, but there's already drama. Andrea Riseborough
00:04surprised many when she received a Best Actress nomination for To Leslie, a movie that brought
00:09in just $27,000 at the box office. The unexpected nod even garnered the attention of Academy
00:14officials who investigated the situation to see if Riseborough's nomination should be reversed.
00:18Ultimately, they chose to stand by it. The small independent drama previously hadn't received much
00:23buzz. That was until a handful of celebrities began voicing their support for the quote small
00:27film with a giant heart and Riseborough's performance. Much of the talent outreach
00:31for Riseborough's grassroots-esque campaign was largely attributed to director Michael Morris'
00:35wife, Mary McCormick. Since December, McCormick had been reaching out to actors, including those
00:40in the Academy's Actors Branch, enthusiastically inviting them to private screenings. This
00:44potentially could have violated an Academy rule against contacting voters directly and encouraging
00:49promotion via private events. Some also believe that Riseborough's nomination took the place of
00:53two Black actresses who were considered frontrunners, Viola Davis and Danielle Deadweiler.