Days after Andrea Riseborough shocked Hollywood by earning a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her little-seen film To Leslie, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced it was “conducting a review of campaign procedures” to ensure that none of their rules were broken.
“It is the Academy’s goal to ensure that the awards competition is conducted in a fair and ethical manner, and we are committed to ensuring an inclusive awards process,” the statement said.
“We are conducting a review of campaign procedures surrounding this year’s nominees to ensure no policy violations have occurred and to inform us if policy changes may be needed in a new era of social media and digital communications. We trust the integrity of our nomination and voting processes and support genuine grassroots campaigns for excellence.”
Riseborough’s unexpected nomination, likely at the expense of women of color like The Woman King’s Viola Davis and Till’s Danielle Deadwyler, came after several days of intense social media campaigning by celebrities like Edward Norton, Gwyneth Paltrow and even Best Actress nominees Cate Blanchett.
Variety reports that Academy member Frances Fisher may have broken the rules with an Instagram post attempting to boost Riseborough that mentioned possible competition: Viola Davis, Michelle Yeoh, Deadwyler and Blanchett.
If someone files a formal grievance about Fisher’s post, she could be suspended from the academy for a year, although that probably wouldn’t affect Riseborough’s candidacy.
Only nine nominations have ever been revoked in the Academy’s history.