So, I thought something was off with the order in which the Oscars were awarded. And low and behold, the producers of the Academy Awards ceremony in fact pulled a switcheroo most emphatically by reserving the Best Actor announcement for last. Many viewers, fans, and industry pundits were convinced that meant a win for the late Chadwick Boseman, for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, the critically acclaimed Netflix film. But, unless you’ve been under a rock, you know that was not the case.
The winner, Sir Anthony Hopkins, who did not make an appearance as he was unable to accept via Zoom, won for The Father. Listen, I said it before, and I’ll say it again, Hopkins was spectacular, but most of the world believed Boseman would win, and I did too.
Even still, the next day the stunned 83-year-old actor, who whole heartedly did not expect to win, thanked his fans but also gave Boseman a shout out. “And I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who was taken from us far too early…and again, thank you all very much,” he said via Instagram. “I really did not expect this. So I feel very privileged and honored. Thank you.”
Most fans were not upset by Hopkins’s win, because again, it was well deserved, they were stunned that the Academy would seemingly choose to use a potential win of the Black Panther star, merely for views. But check this, the 93rd Academy Awards had the lowest rating performance in the last several years. And now, Boseman’s brother, Derrick, is speaking out.
He told TMZ that his family was not upset by what appears to be a snub. He went on to explain that all of the actors who were nominated are talented and deserved their honors. Derrick said his brother “always described them to me as a campaign … I’m sure [Anthony] would if Chad won.”
Watch Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom on Netflix and The Father on Amazon Prime, and you be the judge.
