This week’s Monday morning wake up / phone scroll brought about the surprising revelation that the Fresh Prince of Belair had slapped the comedian Chris Rock for… making a joke. Granted it was at the expense of Will Smith’s wife and touched on a personal medical condition, but perhaps Will could have handled it a bit better?
Whatever your opinion is on the matter, it was a memorable Oscar moment. And with the Oscar viewership declining rapidly over the years, this sort of outlandish behaviour will probably see a bit more interest in the 2023 edition. But this is not the craziest thing that has happened at the Oscars by a long run. Here’s a look at our top 5.
1. Oscar sold for drugs When Robert Downey Jr won his 1993 Oscar for his moving portrayal in Chaplin, he was at the height of his drug and alcohol addiction which would plague him for years. What many don’t know is that, shortly after winning the Academy Award for Best Actor, Downey Jr went on to pawn the gold statuette for drug money. A move he would – quite understandably – come to regret later in life.
2. Best Performance by an Animal The Oscars have been running for a long time, starting way back in the black-and-white era of 1929. Over the years, there have been some changes to the programme, with new awards added – and some archaic ones taken away. One award, that should probably be brought back, was ‘Best Performance by an Animal’ in feature films. Some of the winners (before the award was unceremoniously removed from the list) included Old Yeller from the 1957 film of the same name and ‘Cat’ in the 1961 classic, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
3. Joaquin Phoenix’s bizarre thanks Undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s greatest working actors, Joaquin Phoenix deservedly took home the Oscar for his captivating performance in Joker. And while acceptance speeches can often range from emotionally charged nonsense to the never-ending list of thanks, Joaquin’s speech certainly stands out. In his list of overwhelming gratitude, which included thanking his deceased brother, River, Joaquin extended thanks to his pet tortoise (or turtle as Americans say), Larry, for offering a ‘stabilising presence in this wild world’.
4. The wrong Oscar When Marissa Tomei won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her delightful performance in the 1993 comedy My Cousin Vinny – beating Judy Davis, Vanessa Redgrave and Miranda Richardson – there was audience speculation that the wrong name had been read by the teleprompter. While the Academy actually issued a statement negating this and claiming Tomei was the correct recipient, one Academy member reportedly admitted – after a few martinis – that it had been awarded to the wrong actress but that the Academy was too humiliated to admit this. Who the rightful award winner should have been, however, remains a mystery.
5. Best One Liner Another award no longer on the Oscar roster – but really should be – is the Best One Liner. This was awarded to the film with the best line. Some of the award winners included ‘Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn’ from the 1939 film, Gone with the wind, as well as Casablanca’s ‘Here’s looking at you, kid’ in 1942. So there you have it.
Some of the most outlandish moments in Oscar history that put the slap to shame. But also, some of the most made up.
Happy April Fool’s everyone (hopefully you’re reading this before 12pm!)
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