Gripping REAL story behind the Oscars debacle

Emma Stone and Warren Beatty talk exclusively to BAZ BAMIGBOYE

EMMA STONE yesterday told of the devastation she felt when her chance of further Oscar glory was snatched by the biggest fiasco in the ceremony’s 88-year history.

Miss Stone, 28, was celebrating being named Best Actress for her lead role in La La Land when Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced that the musical had won Best Picture.

The audience at the Hollywood theatre erupted and Miss Stone joined the film’s producers and co-star Ryan Gosling on stage to receive the statuette.

Acceptance speeches began – but within seconds panicked backstage officials from accountancy giant PriceWaterhouse-Cooper cottoned on to the error and told Beatty and the La La Land team that Moonlight was the real winner. Last night, as recriminations flew over whether it was Beatty’s fault or Miss Dunaway’s, Miss Stone told the Daily Mail the bungle was: ‘One of the most horrible moments of my life. Wow! It was just so horrible.’ We can also reveal that: Beatty, 76, said he had been confused when handed a card that read ‘Emma Stone, La La Land’ – and held on to it for some time afterwards so no-one could accuse him of the mistake; His wife Annette Bening phoned him, urging him to come home and not become embroiled any further in the shambles; Miss Dunaway, 79, shrugged off the furore, insisting: ‘It wasn’t my fault’; PwC, which helps to run the Oscars, issued a humiliating apology; The two stars bungled their entrance because Miss Dunaway was unable to walk up a specially created staircase.

La La Land ended up winning six Oscars in the early hours of yesterday.

Acting legends Beatty and Miss Dunaway had been asked to present the Best Picture award while honouring the 50th anniversary of the release of gangster movie Bonnie and Clyde.

Before their entrance, an elaborate staircase was hastily erected on the stage of the Dolby Theatre, with the idea the two stars would descend from it.

But it was swiftly evident that Miss Dunaway was having problems walking up it. One theory is that she did not fancy climbing the steps in her high heels. Instead, stage managers left the pair at

the foot of the stairs and they walked to the front of the stage normally.

Beatty had a red envelope in one hand and together they introduced the nine contenders for motion picture of the year.

As the actor seemed to be taking his time to read out the winner, Miss Dunaway could be heard saying: ‘You’re impossible. Come on!’ Beatty showed her the envelope.

TV viewers could later see that it read ‘Actress In A Leading Role’ – but neither star appeared to have spotted this.

Indeed, Miss Dunaway mistakenly thought he was being gracious in allowing her to make the announcement. She read the words ‘La La Land’ and the producers and cast of the musical trooped on to the stage, clearly deliriously happy.

Two of the producers, Marc Platt and Jordan Horowitz, made passionate speeches. But by the time a third, Fred Berger, took the microphone there were rumblings and mumbling in the wings.

Mr Berger then abruptly told the audience: ‘We lost, by the way…’. Behind him, Miss Stone gasped and said: ‘Oh, my God.’

There was pandemonium on stage, and in the auditorium. A Daily Mail reporter was sitting in front of some young cast members from Moonlight who screamed in shock, saying: ‘What! What just happened. Is this fake? Is this true? What?’ As the real winners made their way to the stage, Mr Horowitz held the award up and declared: ‘I’m going to be really proud to hand this to my friends from Moonlight.’

PwC has overseen ballots for 83 Oscar ceremonies. The two key executives in charge of the Academy account, Martha Ruiz and Brian Cullinan, hold briefcases containing names of the winners in the 24 categories. They also carry duplicates – supposedly to avoid confusion should any issue arise.

It turned out that Beatty, before walking on stage, had been given the duplicate envelope for the Best Actress award.

As Miss Dunaway was reading ‘La La Land’, Miss Ruiz realised an unprecedented error had occurred and the envelope containing the Moonlight win was found. Officials tried to get Beatty to give up the envelope but he refused. He told the audience what had happened and showed the envelope as proof but some did not believe him, thinking that the two stars, both in their 70s, had mucked up.

Beatty told the Daily Mail: ‘I have the card. I have the envelope with La La Land and Emma Stone’s name and I’m keeping hold of it awhile. I bet you all thought I was doing some schtick to prolong the moment but I wasn’t. I was confused because the card read “Emma Stone, La La Land”.’

Later, at the Governors Ball, Beatty took a call from his wife who told him to go home but he was adamant he would not hide. ‘I

did nothing wrong. This was not my fault,’ he said pointedly when approached for comment. When Miss Dunaway saw him at the ball and asked, ‘Are we in the sink over this?’, he responded with a defiant ‘No’.

But the call from his wife had unnerved him and he began to clam up. Earlier, Beatty was heard muttering: ‘I hope this won’t be remembered like the streaker moment’ – referring to the 1974 Oscars, hosted by David Niven, when a streaker ran on to the stage.

Yesterday Dawn Hudson, Academy managing director, was furious and insisted it would not be taking the blame. It was left to PwC to fall on its sword. A spokesman said: ‘We sincerely apologise to Moonlight, La La Land, Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error … The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong envelope and when discovered [it] was immediately corrected. We are investigating how this could have happened… We appreciate the grace with which the nominees, the Academy, ABC and [host] Jimmy Kimmel handled the situation.’

However, the damage had been done. The La La Land producers had their win ripped away from them, while the folk behind Moonlight were not able to be properly lauded.

But Moonlight director Barry Jenkins said: ‘No one will ever forget this … This is part of Oscar history. No one will forget that Moonlight, ultimately, won the Best Picture Oscar.’ The film’s producer Jeremy Kleiner added that he was ‘heartened’ by the award. British-raised Andrew Garfield, nominated for Hacksaw Ridge, said: ‘You actually couldn’t make this up … it was heartbreaking. But there was something beautifully symbolic seeing the two ensembles of both films mingling on stage.’

The star had missed out on Best Actor, on a disappointing night for British hopefuls, including Naomie Harris and Dev Patel.

Meanwhile, as Beatty slipped away in silence, Miss Dunaway was spotted at the Vanity Fair party sipping a cocktail, and quite enjoying her part in the fiasco. ‘It wasn’t my fault,’ she told anyone who would listen. ‘Things like this happen… It was a very odd thing. It wasn’t Warren’s fault.’

Ruiz and Cullinan, who memorised the winners earlier that day, and instantly realise that a mistake has been made, rush on to the stage, perspiring heavily, and inform Beatty that the wrong victor has been named. As the heartfelt speeches from the La...

The auditorium erupts as the cast and crew of La La Land hug each other, punch the air, and stride jubilantly to the stage. Producers Marc Platt, Fred Berger, pictured at the microphone, and Jordan Horowitz begin their speeches. Backstage, however,...

By now, Beatty has been given the correct envelope. Horowitz, watched by host Jimmy Kimmel, grabs the card from it and shows it to the crowd, to prove his film has in fact lost and the mess-up is not just an elaborate spoof.

It’s a big day for PwC beancounters Martha Ruiz and Brian Cullinan who scored the most glamorous job in accountancy: running the Oscars vote. Each year, the duo send out 7,000 ballot papers, supervise the counting system, and help oversee the...

But it is a joke to some people. Ryan Gosling, for one. He’d hoped to win his first Oscar, after being nominated for Best Actor for La La Land, only to lose to Casey Affleck. The Best Picture nod would have provided some consolation. But now that’s...

Emma Stone wins Best Actress for La La Land and in a teary speech informs the film’s cast and crew: ‘I’m going to hug the hell out of you when the feeling re-enters my body.’ PwC’s Ruiz and Cullinan ought now to destroy the second of their two...

Shambles: An official tells Warren Beatty of the error as Emma Stone looks on in disbelief

Revealing: La La Land star Emma Stone backstage at the Oscars

Beatty opens the envelope. Inside a card says ‘Emma Stone’ and ‘La La Land’. He pauses, looking confused. ‘And the academy award …’ he says, trying to buy himself time, ‘for best picture…’. Dunaway, who presumes he’s talking slowly to build tension,...

Beatty shows La La Land’s Jordan Horowitz the envelope and card in his hands. The 36-year-old film producer, who has never previously won or been shortlisted for an Oscar, had only seconds earlier been on cloud nine. Now his dreams are shattered. He...

As cast members of Moonlight – in which Naomie Harris plays a drugaddicted single mother of a bullied gay son – scream, director Barry Jenkins takes his trophy from Horowitz, who graciously hugs him. Jenkins says: ‘Very clearly, even in my dreams,...

It gradually becomes clear to guests that something has gone very wrong. Confusion and shock is etched on the faces of such Hollywood royalty as Mel Gibson, centre, Sting and Trudie Styler, top right, Matt Damon, second row, and at the front Michelle...

Beatty exits the stage with an ashen-faced Ruiz of PwC, which will later issue a grovelling apology. Various Oscar officials attempt to make Beatty hand over the duplicate envelope, but he refuses. The actor intends to keep it as proof he wasn’t to...

Almost four hours after the curtain was raised, it’s time to announce who has won Best Picture. To mark the 50th anniversary of Bonnie & Clyde, which won in 1 68, stars Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway are asked to present the gong. During a commercial...

Beatty strides forward with the envelope. But what’s this? Gold lettering reveals it’s one of two created for the ‘Actress In A Leading Role’ category. The duplicate has found its way onstage. Disaster!