SHOCKER, Academy Award judges don’t watch all of the movies they vote for!
Every year there is a set of outrage related to either the Academy Award nominations or The Academy judges. But, this year it looks as though the judges seriously don’t care about the award ceremony at all. According to a new study by The Hollywood Reporter, 5.5% of polled Academy members don’t even watch the Best Picture nominees.
According to their figures:
– 5% of people asked didn’t watch American Sniper
– 2.6% failed to see The Grand Budapest Hotel
– 10% missed Selma
– 2% didn’t see Birdman
– 7% failed to watch The Theory Of Everything
– 5% missed Boyhood
– 4.5% didn’t watch The Imitation Game
– And 7% failed to get around to watching Whiplash.
This does not mean that they actually went and cast their final vote when the Academy asked them for their insight. However, it is reasonable to believe that if they decided to respond to this survey, then they also took the time to cast their vote for Best Picture as well. But, instead of having an informed vote on all of the movies that were nominated, they simply voted for something they already seen or already liked.
Every Academy member is given a DVD screen of every movie that is nominated. Therefore, a majority of these judges chose not too watch the movie and instead vote against movies they never watched or seen. In fact, Boyhood was the only movie that was watched by the majority of Academy members in a screening room or theater, and according to reports, Boyhood will most likely win an Academy Award.
According to Barry Norman, an Academy member, many of the movies are watched by the judges’ maids. “There’s the question of whether all the voters actually saw all the films. It’s not unknown for some, especially the elderly, to get their maids to watch them on DVD and deliver their opinions.”
Norman’s “maids” argument may help explain the success of The Help, a 2011 American period drama about a young white woman and her relationship with two black maids, set during the Civil Rights era in 1963.
At the end of the day The Academy Awards is the finish line for many actors. After pouring their hearts out on camera, actors seek recognition from The Academy. But, if the members won’t watch your movie, doesn’t it take the prestige away from the award?
What do you think?Discuss this story with fellow Project Casting fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @projectcasting.
