The Oscars will feature an acknowledgement of the war in Ukraine in a “thoughtful” way that will still keep with the celebratory nature of the awards show. And the producers say they haven’t ruled out an appearance from the Ukrainian president.
Earlier this week, Oscars co-host Amy Schumer said that an idea to invite Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy onto the Oscars broadcast via satellite was turned down by producers. But in a news conference Thursday, producer Will Packer said they couldn’t comment definitively but that the show and its tribute to Ukraine is still a work in progress.
“We’re going to be very thoughtful about how we acknowledge where we are in the world. But the show is still in process, so that’s not something that we would definitively say one way or the other at this point,” Packer said. “We want to be fun and celebratory but we’re certainly going to do that in a respectful way and with an eye toward what’s going on in the world. So stay tuned.”
Co-host Wanda Sykes did wonder aloud when it came to Zelenskyy, “isn’t he busy right now?” But she and her fellow co-host Regina Hall did say they loved what the producers have planned.
“They have something planned that we love, and it’s organic and thoughtful, and it’s the right place to cover,” Sykes said.
“It’s a delicate situation and they have handled it so thoughtfully and I think the audience will enjoy it. We certainly love the idea,” Hall added.
The theme of this year’s Oscars ceremony is Movie Lovers Unite, and Packer repeatedly reiterated that the point of Sunday’s awards show was to have a celebratory and fun evening, which doesn’t necessarily gel with the “tumultuous” events going on in the world.
“Certainly it’s something we’ve talked about and we’re all aware of. While we want the night to be fun and celebratory, we want it to be an escape. This is a tumultuous time around the world, and we know that. And by the way it’s been tumultuous these past few years,” he said. “You don’t go into a show like this and not be aware of that and not find a way to respectfully acknowledge where we are and how fortunate we are to even be able to put on this show.”
So while Zelenskyy is no sure thing, Packer did also mention that there will be some other surprises in store beyond the presenters who have already been announced for the ceremony, including who is presenting Best Picture this year, which Packer confirmed will return to the very end of the broadcast.
Packer also addressed the ongoing controversy over moving eight below-the-line categories off the live show, saying there were “misconceptions” about how the awards will be handled and reiterated that all 23 categories will be shown during the broadcast.
“But part of the thinking was we’re going to have a four hour show and we really are and the show will start in the Dolby and we want to have everyone there with their peers cheering them on and on the televised show does start an hour after that. And this is like any other live show that makes decisions about what’s going to be on the air and what’s going to make the cut,” he said. “But make no mistake, without a doubt, we’re going make sure that everybody has their moment because at the end of the day, it’s an entertaining show. We want to be celebratory and fun, but it is about celebrating the most talented people in the world and what they do, and we’re determined to do that and do it the right way.”
The 94th Annual Academy Awards air Sunday on ABC.
