Andrea Riseborough: Why a British star’s Oscar nomination has sparked controversy
When British actress Andrea Riseborough’s name was read out as one of this year’s five Academy Award nominees for best actress, it came as something of a surprise to many.
Not because her performance in To Leslie – a small indie film in which she plays a single mother who turns to alcoholism after winning the lottery – wasn’t worthy, but because there had been no substantial awards-season buzz surrounding her before the announcement.
This is how it works: the Oscars is the biggest night in Hollywood, the culmination of awards season, but it’s not the only ceremony in Tinseltown.
Many will no doubt be aware of some of the events, such as the Golden Globes, while others including the SAG awards are less well known. And of course, there is also the BAFTAs in the UK.
Each awards ceremony has its own members voting but you tend to see the same names cropping up on the shortlists, give or take a few.
In 2022, for example, Will Smith, Jessica Chastain, Ariana DeBose and Troy Kotsur picked up the four acting prizes at pretty much every single ceremony, including, finally, the Oscars.
Riseborough, who starred in Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical in 2022 and is also known for The Kindness Of Strangers, Made In Dagenham and Birdman, did not receive nominations for any other awards this year, and nor did To Leslie.
However, before the Oscar nominees were announced, Riseborough did publicly receive the backing of some very prominent A-listers (more on this later).
During awards season, film studios campaign, campaign, campaign – which means projects with the biggest budgets are more likely to get noticed by voters.
The To Leslie campaign was reportedly self-funded and relied on word of mouth to get noticed.
Questions have now been raised as to whether Riseborough’s nomination was fair – in an escalating row which has led to criticism once again of diversity at the Oscars, where none of the best actress nominees are black – and seen her co-star and others speaking out to defend her.
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Although it did not mention To Leslie, the Academy, which organises the Oscars, has announced it is conducting a review of award “campaign procedures” to ensure no guidelines were violated this year.
The issue is due to be discussed at its next meeting later today.
So what is Oscar campaigning? What did Riseborough’s celebrity backers apparently do wrong? Is any of it really fair? Here’s everything you need to know.
Who is Angela Riseborough?
The 41-year-old actress is known for her work in the Oscar-winning Birdman, and for playing Wallis Simpson in WE and the former prime minister in Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk To Finchley.
In 2022, she starred in the latest adaptation of Matilda, playing Matilda’s mother Mrs Wormwood alongside Stephen Graham as Mr Wormwood, as well as Emma Thompson as Ms Trunchbull, Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey, and Alisha Weir in the titular role.
She also starred in Battle Of The Sexes, about the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, playing King’s lover Marilyn Barnett, and appeared in an episode of Black Mirror.
Riseborough was the first British actress to formally support the #4PercentChallenge, urging members of the film industry to work with female directors, following its launch by Creed actress Tessa Thompson at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019.
She is nominated for her performance in To Leslie, a small-budget film which reportedly grossed around $27,000 (about £22,000) at the box office, according to US entertainment site Variety.
Which celebrities supported her?
Cate Blanchett, pictured at the Critics’ Choice Awards, is now also up for best actress at the Oscars, alongside Riseborough. Pic: Strauss/Invision/AP
In the run-up to the Oscar nominations, To Leslie broke through with the Academy seemingly in no small part thanks to a campaign by some of the most prominent names in Hollywood.
Indeed, Cate Blanchett, who is also up for the best actress Oscar alongside Riseborough, used her Critics’ Choice speech to praise the Brition – along with others, it should be noted.
“Best actress, I mean, it is extremely arbitrary considering how many extraordinary performances there have been by women; not only in this room, but Andrea Riseborough and Tang Wei, Penelope Cruz, the list goes on and on,” she said. Blanchett continued by saying she wanted to change how awards work and highlight the “raft” of performances.
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Fellow Hollywood stars including Kate Winslet, Amy Adams, Gwyneth Paltrow, Edward Norton, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston, Zooey Deschanel, Frances Fisher and Helen Hunt have also praised Riseborough’s performance.
Fisher, known for films including Titanic and Unforgiven, has been particularly vocal on social media about the actress’s performance.
What’s wrong with any of this?
There’s nothing wrong with encouraging Oscar voters to watch a particular film, or praising a performance.
However, some posts supporting Riseborough on social media may have broken Academy rules if they reference “competition” by name or title.
If a formal complaint is filed, this could result in Fisher receiving a one-year suspension from the Academy, according to reports.
There is no suggestion that Riseborough broke rules herself.
But questions remain as to the authenticity of the backing for her. Were all these supporters genuinely wowed by her performance, or simply friends in high places, helping out a mate?
What is Oscar campaigning?
Studios can spend millions of dollars promoting their films in the run-up to and during awards season, making sure they have the attention of voters.
The aim is to construct a narrative that a film is “Oscar worthy”.
Billboards go up, screening events are held, the stars will walk red carpets, do interviews, meet the right people.
In 2016, Susan Sarandon called for “campaign finance reform”, saying the Oscars campaign race had become “enormous”.
What has the Academy said about the latest controversy?
A statement released by the Academy on Friday did not reference Riseborough or To Leslie specifically.
“It is the Academy’s goal to ensure that the awards competition is conducted in a fair and ethical manner, and we are committed to ensuring an inclusive awards process,” the statement read.
“We are conducting a review of the campaign procedures around this year’s nominees, to ensure that no guidelines were violated, and to inform us whether changes to the guidelines may be needed in a new era of social media and digital communication.
“We have confidence in the integrity of our nomination and voting procedures, and support genuine grassroots campaigns for outstanding performances.”
Why has this led to criticism about diversity at the Oscars?
L-R: Jalyn Hall and Danielle Deadwyler star in Till. Pic: Lynsey Weatherspoon/Orion Pictures
This year, none of the best actress nominees are black.
Riseborough and Blanchett (Tar) are up for the award alongside Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans) and Ana de Armas (Blonde), while strong contenders Viola Davis (The Woman King) and Danielle Deadwyler (Till) missed out.
Following the nominations announcement, Till director Chinonye Chukwu posted a statement on Instagram, saying: “We live in a world and work in industries that are so aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards Black women.
“And yet.
“I am forever in gratitude for the greatest lesson of my life – regardless of any challenges or obstacles, I will always have the power to cultivate my own joy, and it is this joy that will continue to be one of my greatest forms of resistance.”
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Of course, Davis and Deadwyler’s names being missing from the shortlist is not Riseborough’s fault.
When it comes to analysis of the nominees, the nods for de Armas and Williams have also been questioned – de Armas as the Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde has been widely panned, despite her performance being praised, and Williams as the role of Mitzi Fabelman in The Fabelmans is considered by some to be a supporting role.
Support for Riseborough
Marc Maron stars alongside Riseborough in To Leslie. Pic: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Following the Academy’s announcement, stars have spoken out in defence of Riseborough and To Leslie.
In the latest episode of his WTF podcast, her To Leslie co-star Marc Maron criticised the Academy’s investigation.
“Apparently, the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences or whatever the f*** it is has decided to investigate Andrea Riseborough’s grassroots campaign to get her the Oscar nomination,” he said. “Because I guess it so threatens their system that they’re completely bought out by corporate interests in the form of studios.
“Millions of dollars [are] put into months and months of advertising campaigns, publicity, screenings by large corporate entertainment entities and Andrea was championed by her peers through a grassroots campaign which was pushed through by a few actors.
“The Academy is [like], ‘Well, we gotta take a look at this. This is not the way it’s supposed to work. Independent artists don’t deserve the attention of the Academy unless we see how it works exactly. So, we’re going to look into this’.”
Actress Christina Ricci apparently also defended Riseborough in an Instagram post, which has reportedly since been deleted. According to US entertainment site Deadline, the star wrote: “So it’s only the films and actors that can afford the campaigns that deserve recognition? Feels elitist and exclusive and frankly very backward to me.”
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What happens now?
Well, it’s down to the Academy to decide. Many think it’s unlikely Riseborough’s nomination will be withdrawn.
But even if she remains in the race, the nomination may now seem tainted – and following the initial positive reaction to her nod, voters could see her as too controversial to pick to win.
And for studios: why bother with all the promo when A-list recommendations can make even more impact?
Whether rules have been broken or not, this saga has lifted the lid on the deep pockets of awards campaigning – and how it’s good promo, not necessarily just a good performance, that can turn a film or a star into a winner.
Watch the Oscars exclusively on Sky Showcase on Sunday 12 March from midnight. Sky News will be live on the red carpet at the ceremony in Hollywood on Sunday 12 and live with the winners at the Vanity Fair party on Breakfast with Kay Burley, on Monday 13 March
Tom Holland’s dad has confirmed his son’s engagement to Zendaya – revealing how the 28-year-old meticulously planned the proposal.
Zendaya, also 28, sparked engagement rumours when she attended last Sunday’s Golden Globes wearing a sparkling diamond on her ring finger.
Neither star has publicly addressed the rumours but Tom’s comedian father, Dominic Holland, has now confirmed the pair are set to wed.
He wrote in a post on his Patreon account: “Tom, as you know by now was very incredibly well prepared. He had purchased a ring.
“He had spoken with her father and gained permission to propose to his daughter.”
“Tom had everything planned out… When, where, how, what to say, what to wear,” he added.
Zendaya arrived at the Golden Globes with a noticeable piece of new jewellery. Pic: Invision/AP
Dominic also noted that while most men worry about being able to afford an engagement ring, he suspects his actor son was “more concerned with the stone, its size and clarity, its housing, which jeweller”.
Tom and Zendaya met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016, when they played the titular hero and his love interest MJ, respectively. Their romance was confirmed in 2021.
In his post, Tom’s father admitted fears over whether being in the spotlight could put a strain on the couple’s relationship.
He wrote: “I do fret that their combined stardom will amplify their spotlight and the commensurate demands on them and yet they continually confound me by handling everything with aplomb.”
“And even though show business is a messy place for relationships and particularly so for famous couples as they crash and burn in public and are too numerous to mention […] yet somehow right at the same time, I am completely confident they will make a successful union.”
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Zendaya rose to fame after landing a role in Disney sitcom Shake It Up, and became a household name after starring in Euphoria.
Holland – who has starred in three Spider-Man films opposite his now-fiancée – made his stage debut in Billy Elliot the Musical in 2008.
Paris Hilton says her “heart has shattered into a million pieces,” after visiting the charred remains of her Malibu beach house which has been destroyed in wildfires sweeping LA.
Describing herself on Instagram as “in complete shock,” the hotel heiress said seeing her family memories “reduced to ashes” was “devastating”.
Meanwhile, Mel Gibson has said the loss of his family home and all his belongings in the fire was “emotional”. It burned down while he was recording the Joe Rogan Experience in Texas.
Follow live: Latest blaze investigated as possible arson
At least 10 people have been killed in the blazes, which have been burning for four days, forcing 179,000 to evacuate their homes. Tens of thousands of acres of land still burning.
The fires affected multiple celebrities, as the fires have ripped through exclusive suburbs in southern California, home to film stars and billionaires.
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Celebrities’ homes have burned down in the LA fires
Hilton, 43, said she watched her home burn to the ground on TV – and shared a video on social media from inside her gutted home.
She said she was grateful to be safe along with her husband Carter Reum and their two children, Phoenix and London, but was devastated to have lost her family home.
She wrote on Instagram: “I’m standing here in what used to be our home, and the heartbreak is truly indescribable.
“When I first saw the news, I was in complete shock – I couldn’t process it. But now, standing here and seeing it with my own eyes, it feels like my heart has shattered into a million pieces.”
She has lived in the multi-million-pound property for three years.
Hilton added: “This house wasn’t just a place to live – it was where we dreamed, laughed, and created the most beautiful memories as a family.
“It was where [son] Phoenix’s little hands made art that I’ll cherish forever, where love and life filled every corner. To see it reduced to ashes… it’s devastating beyond words.
“What breaks my heart even more is knowing that this isn’t just my story. So many people have lost everything. It’s not just walls and roofs – it’s the memories that made those houses homes. It’s the photos, the keepsakes, the irreplaceable pieces of our lives.”
She described herself as “incredibly lucky,” adding: “My loved ones, my babies, and my pets are safe. That’s the most important thing”.
She thanked the firefighters, first responders and volunteers who she said were “all risking their lives” to help, adding “Even in the ashes, there is still beauty in this world”.
Water dropped by helicopter on the burning Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills. Pic: AP
The West Hills section of Los Angeles. Pic: AP
‘When I got home, it wasn’t there’
Braveheart star Mel Gibson, who was away when the fires began, told NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas Reports that the home he had lived in for over a decade had burned while he was appearing on an episode of the Joe Rogan podcast.
The 69-year-old actor said it was “emotional” to know all his belongings have been lost, but he was doing his best to stay positive.
He said he felt “relieved from the burden of my stuff, because it’s all in cinders”.
Gibson, who lived in his Hollywood home with his partner Rosalind Ross and their seven-year-old son Lars, described finding out about the loss of his house.
“I was doing the Rogan podcast… And [I was] kind of ill at ease while we were talking, because I knew my neighbourhood was on fire, so I thought, I wonder if my place is still there.
“But when I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there. I went home and I said to myself, well, at least I haven’t got any of those pesky plumbing problems anymore.”
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He said the family’s pet chickens had survived the blaze, and while many “personal things from over the years” had been lost, the important things were still there.
“These are only things. And the good news is that those in my family and those I love are all well, and we’re all happy and healthy and out of harm’s way, that’s all I can care about, really.”
LA fires as of Friday morning
The ancestral home of Big Lebowski actor Jeff Bridges is also understood to have been destroyed.
The four-bedroom home, which had been in the Bridges family for generations, had been inherited by Bridges and his two siblings in 2018 according to the Los Angeles Times.
Tina Knowles, the mother of singer Beyonce, has also lost a house she owned in Malibu to the fires.
Tina Knowles with Jay-Z, Beyonce and Blue Ivy Carter in December. Pic: AP
She shared a short video of dolphins playing in the sea on Instagram, writing: “This is what I was looking at on my birthday this past weekend from my tiny little bungalow on the water in Malibu! It was my favorite place, my sanctuary, my sacred Happy Place. Now it is gone!!”
She went on to thank the fire department and first responders and offered condolences to others affected by the fires.
Take That star Mark Owen and his family were evacuated from their home, with his wife Emma Ferguson describing them waking to “helicopters, thick black smoke and winds howling”.
She said while she was grateful her family was safe, it was “exhausting” to be “constantly looking online to see if your house is gone.”
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Steve Guttenberg: ‘I’ve seen such tragedy’
Actor Steve Guttenberg, best known for his role in the Police Academy film franchise, has called the fires “absolutely the worst” he’s ever seen, and has been doing what he can to help distressed residents.
Other stars to have lost their homes in the fires include Billy Crystal, Miles Teller, Diane Waren, Ricki Lake, Cary Elwes, Milo Ventimiglia, Anna Faris, Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag.
On Friday, the Recording Academy, which runs the Grammy Awards, and charity MusiCares have pledged $1m (£813,000) to support music artists impacted by the fires.
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis has pledged the same amount to fire relief efforts from her family foundation.
Alec Baldwin has filed a lawsuit against prosecutors who pursued a criminal charge against him after the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust.
The Hollywood actor, who was the lead actor and co-producer of the Western film, was pointing a gun at Ms Hutchins when it fired in October 2021.
The cinematographer was killed and director Joel Souza was wounded.
Baldwin, 66, was accused of involuntary manslaughter but his trial was upended in July when a judge threw the case out based on the misconduct of police and prosecutors over the withholding of ammunition evidence from the defence.
He has now filed a lawsuit for malicious prosecution and civil rights violations against those involved in pursuing the charge.
The lawsuit alleges that prosecutors intentionally concealed evidence that would absolve Baldwin from blame and “sought at every turn to scapegoat” him to “maliciously bring about or advance” the actor’s trial and conviction.
It claims the defendants, which include special prosecutor Kari Morrissey and Santa Fe district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, were “blinded by their desire to convict Baldwin for all the wrong reasons”.
In a statement, Ms Morrissey said: “In October 2023 the prosecution team became aware that Mr Baldwin intended to file a retaliatory civil lawsuit.
“We look forward to our day in court.”
Representatives for Ms Carmack-Altwies have been contacted for comment.
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From July 2024: Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey accused of calling Baldwin a ‘c*********’
Baldwin’s lawsuit has been filed less than a month after Ms Morrissey withdrew an appeal over the court’s decision to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor.
After the lawsuit was filed, Baldwin’s lawyers Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro said in a joint statement: “Criminal prosecutions are supposed to be about the search for truth and justice, not to pursue personal or political gain or harass the innocent.
“Kari Morrissey and the other defendants violated that basic principle, over and over, and trampled on Alec Baldwin’s rights.
“We bring this action to hold the defendants accountable for their misconduct and to prevent them from doing this to anyone else.”
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From November 2024: Tributes paid to Halyna Hutchins at Rust premiere
Baldwin had always denied the charge of involuntary manslaughter, maintaining he did not pull the gun’s trigger and that others on the set in New Mexico were responsible for safety checks on the weapon.
If he had been convicted, he could have faced up to 18 months in prison.
According to the prosecution, the actor had behaved recklessly during a scene rehearsal on the set near Santa Fe, playing “make believe with a real gun” and violating “the cardinal rules of firearm safety”.
Baldwin’s defence team argued this was not true – saying he was “an actor, acting” and “committed no crime”.
Following repeated suggestions from defence lawyer Alex Spiro that evidence had been concealed, in an unusual move, Ms Morrissey called herself to the witness stand during the trial, despite the judge telling her she was not required to do so.
Mr Spiro told the court that she had referred to the actor as a “c*********” and an “arrogant p****” to witnesses. Ms Morrissey said she did not recall this.
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