Maron says the Academy feels threatened by Riseborough’s grassroots campaign because they’re “completely bought out by corporate interests.”
To Leslie star Andrea Riseborough garnering an Oscar nomination came as a surprise for many, and the announcement has also come with some controversy. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has since announced that they’re conducting an internal review of the grassroots campaign that had resulted in Riseborough scoring the nomination, and it’s possible that the honor could be rescinded based on what the Academy decides. Specifically, the Academy stated that they were investigating to see if the campaign violated any guidelines, thus interfering with their goal of conducting the Oscars in a “fair and ethical manner.”
Marc Maron, one of Riseborough’s co-stars in To Leslie, is now speaking out against the Academy for taking this position. On his WTF podcast (via Deadline), Maron condemned the review of Riseborough’s nomination, arguing that the grassroots campaign was completely valid. He also suggests that the Academy has an ulterior motive for making the announcement.
“Apparently, the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences or whatever the f*ck it is has decided to investigate Andrea Riseborough’s grassroots campaign to get her the Oscar nomination, because I guess it so threatens their system to where they’re completely bought out by corporate interests in the form of studios… 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 gonna look into this.’”
Maron then went on to point out how the Academy doesn’t take issue with multi-million dollar campaigns backed by corporate entities with Oscar nomination campaigns, making it ridiculous to put a grassroots campaign under such scrutiny.
“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. Nothing is going to happen because of [the investigation]. [It] was in earnest…and it is not undeserving. But I’m glad the Academy — at the behest of special interest and corporate interest and paranoia about how they look — are doing an investigation. Who gives a f*ck!”
To Leslie Has Drawn Widespread Acclaim
Though there has been some controversy attached, many would say that Riseborough’s nomination is deserved. In To Leslie, Riseborough plays a single mother who blows through lottery prize money on drugs and alcohol, putting her into a very bad spot until she gets a chance to turn over a new leaf with a job at a motel. The movie has scored a near-perfect rating of 97% at Rotten Tomatoes with Riseborough’s performance in particular drawing great praise from critics.
As of now, Riseborough’s Oscar nomination hasn’t been rescinded. The ceremony is scheduled to occur on March 12, 2023.
