‘La La Land’ producer Horowitz is the truth-teller we need right now
Gracious handling of Oscar mix-up set example for all.
After “La La Land” producers Jordan Horowitz and Marc Platt delivered their acceptance speeches for best picture during Sunday’s Academy Awards, fellow producer Fred Berger discovered that their movie was not, in fact, the victor — and he offered up an awkward “we lost, by the way” before backing away from the podium like Homer Simpson disappearing into a shrub.
Berger wasn’t about to stick around to figure out what exactly happened, and who could blame him? It was an embarrassing situation.
But amid the confusion, there was one person willing to take charge and explain, even though he had just given an acceptance speech for a career-defining award he did not actually win.
Horowitz marched up to the microphone to make an announcement. “‘Moonlight’ won,” he said. “Guys, guys, I’m sorry. No. There’s a mistake,” Horowitz said. “‘Moonlight,’ you guys won best picture.”
“This is not a joke,” he continued.
“Come up here,” he commanded, motioning for the “Moonlight” team to come to the stage and collect the top Oscar that Horowitz briefly thought his film had won.
While people in the audience were gasping with surprise, Horowitz — as if to assure them this wasn’t fake news — held up the card just pulled from the correct award envelope, so that the cameras could zoom in.
“‘Moonlight,’” he said. “Best picture.”
Host Jimmy Kimmel looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but on an Oscars stage at that moment.
He tried to make some jokes. The host said he wished that “La La Land” and “Moonlight” could win — but Horowitz wasn’t having it.
“I’m going to be really thrilled to hand this to my friends from ‘Moonlight,’” he said.