21 Biggest Scandals in Oscars History

The intense marketing campaigns for Academy awards came to light when a talented but relatively unknown British actress Andrea Riseborough was nominated for Best Actress for her role in the independent film “To Leslie.” How could a little-known performer in a movie that grossed about $27,000 get the coveted nod in a class that included previous winners Cate Blanchett and Michelle Williams? For one, her team waged a fierce grassroots campaign on her behalf, calling in the likes of Blanchett and Susan Sarandon to praise her performance as an alcoholic single mother given a second chance. Because her nomination was unusual by Hollywood standards (i.e., her team didn’t spend millions of dollars in the usual manner), some called into question the marketing tactics. However, the Academy declined to rescind her nomination, though it said that some of the social media and outreach efforts “caused concern.”