Can Someone Explain What Happened With Best Actor?

Well, that was bizarre.

For anyone who didn’t catch the Oscars last night, Sir Anthony Hopkins won the award for Best Actor in a leading role for his performance in THE FATHER. He was exceptional in it, don’t get me wrong, but given the circumstances of last night and the other nominees he was facing, this was a truly bizarre result. Let me explain.

Also nominated for Best Actor in a leading role was the late Chadwick Boseman for his performance in MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM. As both an actor and activist, Chadwick Boseman had a profound impact across the country and his premature death was truly a tragedy. I have not met a single person who has had a negative thing to say about him or his acting ability to this day. For that reason, a post-death nomination seemed like a sure sign of his eventual win. His role was not one I would even typically call a leading role in MA RAINEY’S, given his character is not the sole focus of the story. In contrast, LaKeith Stanfield was nominated for Best Supporting Actor despite being the title character of JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH and whose infiltration of the Black Panthers is the entire focus of the story. Therefore, the nod by the Academy to nominate Chadwick for Best Actor seemed particularly unusual and suggested that they were intentionally putting him in that category in order to win. Additionally, the presentation of the Best Actor award was moved to the last presentation of the night, which is typically reserved for Best Picture. Why else move Best Actor to last award of the night unless you are planning to have a big celebration of Chadwick and his life? His widow was even in attendance, prepared to give an acceptance speech on his behalf! By all measures everyone considered Chadwick a shoe-in to win. Even Vegas gave him a 95% chance of winning! And then, when the time came to read the award, it was announced that Sir Anthony Hopkins won. Why would the academy jump through all those hoops to honor Chadwick with a nomination, move the presentation of the award to the last of the night, and invite his widow to attend and prepare a speech on his behalf, only to not have him win?

Overall, it was just a bizarre ending to a bizarre Oscars, following a bizarre year.