The award for biggest Oscar mix-up goes to PwC man
As the Academy of Motion Pictures begins inquiry, auditors say US employee failed to follow protocols
THE Oscars has begun a formal investigation and promised “appropriate action” after a mistake which caused the biggest upset in its history, as the auditing firm blamed a single employee.
PwC, which has counted Oscar votes successfully for 83 years, said that Brian Cullinan, one of two auditors privy to the Academy votes, had personally handed Warren Beatty the wrong “best picture” envelope and did not correct the mistake quickly enough. The firm admitted it had “failed” the Academy.
Until now, Mr Cullinan and Martha Ruiz, his professional partner, had been jointly blamed by viewers after it emerged the mistake was caused by a mix-up with their envelopes.
Colleagues yesterday said Mr Cullinan “felt very, very terrible and horrible” about the error, which had left him “very upset”.
The extraordinary mix-up occurred live on stage at the Oscars on Sunday, after Mr Cullinan handed Beatty the incorrect envelope as he announced the best picture prize with actress Faye Dunaway.
Beatty appeared confused by the card, which had in fact been intended for the previous award of best actress. Dunaway read out “La La Land” before the delighted cast and crew piled on to the stage for their acceptance speech.
The best picture prize was then correctly awarded to Moonlight.
In a statement yesterday, the auditors said: “PwC takes full responsibility for the series of mistakes and breaches of established protocols during last night’s Oscars.
“PwC partner Brian Cullinan mistakenly handed the backup envelope for Actress in a Leading Role instead of the envelope for Best Picture to presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.
“Once the error occurred, protocols for correcting it were not followed through quickly enough by Mr Cullinan or his partner.”
The Academy issued a statement, saying it “deeply regrets” the mistake.
“We have spent last night and today investigating the circumstances, and will determine what actions are appropriate going forward,” it said.
“We are unwaveringly committed to upholding the integrity of the Oscars and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.”
It took more than two minutes for the mistake to be corrected, with Hollywood stars and television viewers watching as the mistake slowly dawned on the La La Land team.
Most only realised it had gone wrong when Gary Natoli, the stage manager, appeared on stage flanked by a stricken Mr Cullinan and Ms Ruiz.
According to The New York Times, the PwC pair were seen immediately afterwards in an emergency meeting with Dawn Hudson, the Academy’s chief executive, and Cheryl Boone Isaacs, its president.
Mr Cullinan was later revealed to have spent some of his time backstage tweeting pictures of winners, which were later deleted.
Viewers had also raised questions about why Beatty did not raise the alarm sooner, after spotting he had a card reading “Emma Stone, La La Land”. Others speculated that a change of envelope this year, with embossed writing which was harder to read than a previous design, had affected the clarity of the system.