LOS ANGELES, Mar 5: Actor Warren Beatty has been praised for how he handled the Oscars Best Picture drama by the show’s producer Michael De Luca.
The 79-year-old actor and his “Bonnie & Clyde” co-star Faye Dunaway, 76, were given the wrong envelope at the Academy Awards last month, leading Faye to mistakenly announce “La La Land” as the winner, instead of “Moonlight”.
And the Oscars producer believes Warren is the “unsung hero” of the night, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Referring to when Warren hesitated and showed Faye the card with the winner’s name, Michael says, “I actually think Warren Beatty is the unsung hero here, completely heroic. I think he was showing her (Dunaway) the card, like, ‘hey are you seeing what I’m seeing? I think a mistake’s been made here.’ To me, they are heroes and completely in the clear.”
And Michael believes PricewaterhouseCoopers accountant Brian Cullinan, who handed Warren the wrong envelope, and his colleague Martha Ruiz, could have done more to smooth things over.
“If I was in that job, and I know I’m Monday morning quarterbacking, which I detest, but I feel like if it’s my one job, if I heard the wrong name, I’d walk directly to Warren Beatty and say ‘you got the wrong envelope, here’s the right envelope,’ and make a charming moment out of it.”
Michael also revealed director Steven Spielberg called him to congratulate him on an excellent show, despite the controversy.
“I did get one instant phone call from Steven Spielberg, who said he watched the show with friends at a screening room and thought it was great, and it was a real pep talk. I love him for it, it was really appreciated.
“I would have loved the story to be ‘Moonlight’, this little film that has nobody traditional in it but celebrates African-American LGBT culture, won best picture. It’s a tremendous landmark and underdog story, and that should have been the lead story.” (PTI)
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