On March 23, 2003, as the remainder of the world watched televised photos of captives and corpses recognized as American troopers, limos carrying high-fashion-clad celebrities rolled up outdoors what was then often called the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles.
America had invaded Iraq simply three days earlier than, and, till that morning, there was nonetheless the chance that the Oscars wouldn’t go on.
As A-listers like Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry and Steve Martin — the host — have been herded by metallic detectors amid a big legislation enforcement presence, a couple of blocks away, law enforcement officials holding golf equipment confronted off with demonstrators attempting to get nearer to the theater (none did).
This yr, one other battle is within the headlines because the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences mounts one other Oscars. Thus far, nearly nobody has spoken out at precursor awards reveals, nevertheless it was very completely different in 2003.
“It felt bizarre to decorate up and go to this factor whereas our fellow People have been all abroad about to become involved in one thing that was very harmful,” the director Chris Sanders recalled in a latest interview. Sanders was nominated that yr for greatest animated characteristic movie for guiding and writing “Lilo & Sew” with Dean DeBlois.
Within the weeks main as much as the ceremony, greater than 100 performers, together with Matt Damon, Jessica Lange, Helen Hunt, George Clooney and Danny Glover, signed a letter urging President George W. Bush to not assault Iraq. The day earlier than, the actors Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, and the Oscar-nominated director Pedro Almodóvar, have been amongst 1000’s who marched in Hollywood to protest the battle.
And hours after the battle began, a number of presenters, together with Cate Blanchett and Jim Carrey, bowed out, citing security considerations and respect for navy households. Peter Jackson, whose movie “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” was nominated for greatest image, additionally determined to skip the present.
“It was a bit little bit of ‘Are they going to occur?’” Sanders mentioned. “And in the event that they do, who will present up?”
The Academy Awards, which can be handed out for the 96th yr on Sunday, have by no means been canceled outright. In the course of the pandemic, they occurred partly remotely, with some nominees and presenters showing from hubs in London and Paris. Throughout World Battle II, after an preliminary cancellation, the Oscars went on as scheduled, however with formal apparel banned and the ceremony labeled a “dinner” somewhat than a “banquet.”
In 2003, the present’s broadcaster, ABC, pleaded with the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences to take an analogous course, however the academy refused, partially as a result of the Kodak Theater wouldn’t be obtainable later. As an alternative, the academy determined to carry the ceremony as deliberate however with a couple of modifications: Arriving nominees and their visitors wouldn’t parade alongside a crimson carpet — a primary — and as a substitute can be requested to put on darker colours and extra subdued outfits.
Sanders mentioned he knew “Lilo & Sew” was an extended shot to win. “We have been up towards Miyazaki, for ‘Spirited Away,’” he mentioned. However different nominees needed to grapple with whether or not to deal with the battle in the event that they received.
“Stars was once extra reticent about saying something which may alienate ticket patrons,” mentioned Jules Dixon-Inexperienced, a professor on the College of North Carolina who teaches a course on leisure public relations. “However as social media platforms have turn into extra vibrant and sturdy, celebrities are realizing that persons are actually on the lookout for genuine factors of view from the folks they admire, respect and observe.”
In 2003, the front-runner going into the night was “Chicago,” with 13 nominations, together with greatest image, greatest director for Rob Marshall and greatest actress and supporting actress for Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Martin Scorsese’s historic crime story “Gangs of New York” was scorching on its heels with 10 nominations, and the psychological drama “The Hours” had 9, together with greatest actress for Nicole Kidman’s fake-nose-assisted flip as the author Virginia Woolf.
The primary award of the evening went to “Spirited Away.” The filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki, was not in attendance and provided no clarification on the time. In a 2009 interview with The Los Angeles Times, he mentioned he had boycotted the awards due to the invasion.
“I didn’t need to go to a rustic that was bombing Iraq,” he mentioned. “On the time, my producer shut me up and didn’t enable me to say that, however I don’t see him round at this time.”
The primary winner to check with the battle was Chris Cooper, who received greatest supporting actor for his efficiency as a near-toothless orchid thief in “Adaptation.”
“In gentle of all the difficulty on this world, I want us peace,” he mentioned.
Then issues went off the rails.
After Zeta-Jones, who was almost 9 months pregnant, received for her efficiency because the villainous vaudevillian Velma Kelly in “Chicago,” Michael Moore went onstage to just accept greatest documentary for “Bowling for Columbine.”
With the opposite documentary nominees becoming a member of him onstage, he mentioned that they have been making a joint assertion: “We’re towards this battle,” he declared and was met with a refrain of loud boos. (“Music, music!” the Oscars broadcast director, Louis J. Horvitz, was heard yelling.)
“It was so candy backstage,” Steve Martin mentioned a couple of minutes later. “You need to have seen it. The Teamsters are serving to Michael Moore into the trunk of his limo.”
After which got here one of many largest shocks of the evening: Halle Berry introduced that Adrien Brody had received greatest actor for his efficiency as an unlikely Holocaust survivor in Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist,” beating out Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Daniel Day-Lewis and Jack Nicholson.
An exuberant Brody — who, at 29, grew to become the youngest actor ever to win the class — walked onstage in a daze, kissed a stunned Berry (she later mentioned the episode made her uncomfortable) and used his speech to attraction for peace and the secure return of American troopers.
“Whether or not you consider in Allah or God, could he watch over you, and pray for a peaceable and swift decision to this battle,” he mentioned.
A couple of minutes later, the perfect actress award went to Kidman, who in accepting her award, requested: “Why do you come to the Academy Awards when the world is in such turmoil? As a result of artwork is vital.”
Momentum gave the impression to be selecting up for a “Pianist” best-picture upset after Brody received greatest actor and Ronald Harwood received greatest tailored screenplay for the movie. Then Polanski, who has not returned to the USA since fleeing whereas awaiting sentencing for statutory rape, was named greatest director over the favorites, Marshall and Scorsese.
The evening concluded as anticipated, although, with “Chicago” profitable its sixth statuette, for greatest image, making it the primary musical to win since “Oliver!” (1968).
Scores for the ceremony, which lasted three and a half hours and was the primary Academy Awards to be broadcast in high-definition, confirmed it drew 33 million viewers, making it the least-watched and lowest-rated televised Oscar ceremony to that time. A big variety of viewers had tuned into protection of the Iraq Battle as a substitute.
The references to Iraq pervading the evening have been in marked distinction to the awards reveals to this point this season, when — after two years during which the battle in Ukraine was acknowledged at almost each ceremony — the battle between Israel and Hamas has gone principally unmentioned.
“It’s too fraught,” a studio govt instructed The New York Occasions’s awards season columnist, Kyle Buchanan, final week. “Persons are anxious about their careers.”
Outdoors the USA, nevertheless, actors and filmmakers have been extra outspoken. On the BAFTA awards final month in London, the producer James Wilson, accepting the prize for greatest movie not within the English language for his Holocaust movie, “The Zone of Curiosity,” urged an finish to “selective empathy,” drawing parallels between his movie and Israel’s bombing and invasion of the Gaza Strip in latest months.
It’s unlikely, Dixon-Inexperienced mentioned, that we’ll see such daring rhetoric on the Oscars on Sunday. However she mentioned she anticipated a minimum of one winner to check with both the battle or the election.
“There’s simply one thing completely different about Oscar evening,” she mentioned. “The winners — even when it’s only a transient point out or two — really feel a duty to say one thing about no matter is going on in our nation or world.”