Riseborough pulls off shocking Oscar nod
Actor’s grassroots campaign did not break regulations, academy concludes
“To Leslie,” the indie drama that scored Andrea Riseborough one of the most shocking nominations in Oscar history, opened Oct. 9 at Laemmle Monica Film Center in Santa Monica, California, where it came and went after playing to an empty house for five days.
It ended its theatrical run soon afterward with a worldwide box-office total of $27,000 — that’s thousand, not million. Marc Maron, who co-stars with Riseborough in the downbeat drama about an addict returning to her West
Texas hometown to rebuild her life, was incensed at distributor Momentum Pictures’ handling of the film, grousing on his WTF podcast: “The (expletive) distributor dropped the ball on facilitating something that would bring a lot more attention to the movie.
And now this movie with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score that everyone should see (has) been hobbled by the people responsible for putting it out there.”
But a funny thing happened on the way to obscurity. Riseborough, a gifted English actor who has worked with everyone from Mike Leigh to Alejandro G. Inarritu and won many admirers and allies in the process, somehow entered the awards season conversation. You didn’t see her face on billboards along Sunset Boulevard or in for-your-consideration ads in the trades. There wasn’t any money for that.
But she did have connections. “To Leslie” director Michael Morris knows plenty of actors and celebrities from his long career,
Andrea Riseborough stars in “To Leslie,” a role for which she earned an Oscar nomination for best actress.
as does his wife, actor Mary McCormack, and they contacted nearly every one of them, requesting their friends watch the movie and, if they liked it, spread the word.
Charlize Theron was the first to sign on, hosting a screening for the movie in November.
“It’s the kind of movie that stays in your mind. It stays in your bones. (It) even stays in your skin,” Theron said, introducing “To Leslie” as a throwback to indie movies of the ’70s.
Edward Norton and Jennifer Aniston lent their support later that month, opening their homes for private screenings.
After that, Riseborough met with Shelter PR, who agreed to run a campaign alongside her team at Narrative PR. Outside of what Riseborough and Morris were willing to spend, there wasn’t any money. Riseborough and the publicists drew up a list of actors they could possibly enlist and, bolstered by McCormack’s and Morris’ contacts, started working the phones. Over the holidays, they built a foundation of support that was unleashed when the calendar turned to 2023.
“It went from zero to 100 faster than anything I’ve
ever seen,” a source close to the campaign said. “It was a movement of support and love for a performance.”
Gwyneth Paltrow hosted a screening in early January, calling the movie a “masterpiece.” Courteney Cox followed suit. Oscar nominations voting began Jan. 12, and the next day, Rosanna Arquette introduced “To Leslie” to a packed theater at the Directors Guild. After the credits rolled, Riseborough, Morris and actors Allison Janney, Maron and Andre Royo took the stage to talk with Demi Moore.
The campaign went virtual the next day with Kate Winslet, who worked with Riseborough on the upcoming drama “Lee,” leading a Q&A.
“You should be up for everything,” Winslet told Riseborough. “You should be winning everything. Andrea Riseborough, I think this is the greatest female performance on screen I have ever seen in my life.”
Amy Adams led a similar event hours before voting closed, saying she was “happy to spread the word ... about this amazing feat of filmmaking.”
In between, social media was flooded with raves from the likes of Susan
Sarandon, Helen Hunt, Melanie Lynskey, Mira Sorvino, Minnie Driver and too many others to possibly mention. Cate Blanchett, who would eventually join Riseborough among the best actress Oscar nominees, even gave her a shoutout while accepting an honor at the Los Angeles Film Critics dinner the weekend before the ballot deadline.
Given all that, can Riseborough’s nomination really be considered shocking? If you simply go by the work itself, Winslet says, the answer is no.
“I am just so delighted for her that the acting community has spoken on behalf of her phenomenal performance,” Winslet said after the nominations. “It doesn’t actually matter how many voices have been singing her praises in the last few weeks; those voices did not give that performance. She did.”
“This nomination was hard-won for her,” Winslet continued. “She has worked and worked and pushed herself for years. None of that is easy. This nomination is deeply and richly deserved.”
That said, Riseborough herself was “astounded,” telling Deadline that “it was so hard to believe it might
ever happen because we really hadn’t been in the running for anything else. Even though we had a lot of support, the idea it might actually happen seemed so far away.”
The academy’s actors branch has 1,336 members, meaning that if every one of them voted, Riseborough would require around 200 or so mentions. But in the Oscars’ preferential voting system, where members rank their choices, a passionate core of firstplace votes can catapult a nominee higher in the race.
In the wake of her nomination on Jan. 24, there were whispers that Riseborough’s campaign may have skirted film academy regulations, which specify and limit the type of contact allowed in reaching out to voters. Others took to social media, expressing outrage that no Black women were nominated for best actress, despite powerhouse performances from heralded contenders Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”) and Viola Davis (“The Woman King”).
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced Jan. 27 that it would examine whether any rules were broken. After a review of the campaign, the academy said Riseborough will not be stripped of her Oscar nomination for best actress.
“The Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film’s nomination should be rescinded,” Bill Kramer, academy chief executive, said in a statement. “However, we did discover social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern. These tactics are being addressed with the responsible parties directly.”
Celebrity-hosted screenings are a regular feature of Oscar season, but how voters are contacted during the Oscar voting period is regulated. The academy also suggested Riseborough’s unorthodox campaign may necessitate tweaks to the bylaws.
“Given this review, it is apparent that components of the regulations must be clarified to help create a better framework for respectful, inclusive, and unbiased campaigning,” said Kramer.
Critics of Riseborough’s campaign said it showed how a deep Rolodex could give a potential nominee a leg up.
But Riseborough didn’t replace another woman. She earned her nomination by delivering an astonishing, uncompromising performance that caught a wave of love.
Riseborough’s campaign team understands the speculation over how she netted a nomination. But they’re moving on to the next chapter: getting Riseborough that best actress Oscar.
“There’s really no time to enjoy this (nomination),” a representative said. “We’ve got more work to do.”
The other Oscar nominees for the best actress are Blanchett (“Tar”), Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”), Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) and Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”).