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Was the Andrea Riseborough Oscar Campaign Illegal?

The shock nom has created a brewing shitshow within the Academy, which is said to be looking at whether the team behind “To Leslie” violated the rules with their aggressive grassroots lobbying.

Did the effort to secure To Leslie star Andrea Riseborough an Oscar nomination violate campaign rules?
To Leslie star Andrea Riseborough secured a surprising Oscar nomination for best actress. Photo: Jason Mendez/Getty Images
Matthew Belloni
January 27, 2023

By now we’re all aware that British star Andrea Riseborough scored a best actress Oscar nomination for To Leslie after her director’s wife and others orchestrated a skilled grassroots political campaign that made Obama 2008 look like Hillary 2016. Mary McCormack and friends emailed and called tons of members of the Academy’s actors branch, begging them to see the little-watched alcoholic drama and post online about Riseborough’s searing performance. The result: dozens of influential stars—Gwyneth, Jen, Howard, Cate, Amy Adams, Ed Norton, and many, many more—sang her praises and helped win her the coveted nomination.