Producers asked Al Pacino not to read best picture nominees

LOS ANGELES – Al Pacino said he followed Oscar producers’ instructions when dropping the names of best picture nominees when announcing the winner of the show’s biggest category.

The Oscar winner was the final host on Sunday night, announcing that “Oppenheimer” had won best picture without naming the full list of nominees.

“I want to be clear that it was not my intention to omit these things; rather, it was the producers’ choice not to mention them again, as they were highlighted individually throughout the ceremony. I was honored to be a part of the evening and chose to follow their instructions for this award,” Pacino said Monday. he said in a statement this afternoon.

“I recognize that being nominated is a huge turning point in one’s life and that not being fully recognized is offensive and hurtful. I say this as someone who has deep relationships with filmmakers, actors, and producers, so I deeply understand those who feel slighted by this oversight, and that’s why I felt it necessary to make this statement.

Pacino, 83, received the best actor award for the 1992 film “Scent of a Woman” as an acting nominee nine times.

The Oscars started late and ended at a respectable time compared to last year’s duration, in part because Pacino skipped reading all of the best picture nominees.

Nominated films: “American Fiction,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Barbie,” “The Holdovers,” “The Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro,” “Oppenheimer,” “Past Lives,” “Poor Things” and “The Zone of Interest” — all shown in montages during the show.

But Pacino’s abrupt delivery – “And the Oscars go…” before finally revealing “my eyes see ‘Oppenheimer'” – confused many viewers.

This wasn’t the only category where reading the candidates was skipped. All of the nominated original songs were performed on the show, including “What Am I Made For?” announcement was made. It was done without re-listing her earnings from “Barbie.”

Oscars producer Molly McNearney told trade publication Variety that skipping the reading of the nominees was intentional.

“That was a creative decision we made because we were very concerned about the show being long-running,” he said. “By the time you get to the end of the show, you’ve seen the entire top ten art clip package. People just want to hear who won, and they’re pretty ready for the show to be over. At least that’s what we expected.”

He added: “I’m sorry if our decision not to have to read all these nominations put him in a difficult position.”

The day after the Oscars, Penguin Press announced that Pacino would have a memoir coming out this fall.

The publisher calls the book “a surprisingly illuminating account of a creative life,” including its account of such classics as “The Godfather,” “Serpico” and “Dog Day Afternoon.”

Pacino said in his statement that he wanted to “express what I have seen and experienced in my life.”