Christina Ricci Slams ‘Elitist’ Oscars for Seemingly Reviewing Andrea Riseborough’s Nomination

On blast. Christina Ricci slammed the Oscars for seemingly placing To Leslie star Andrea Riseborough’s Best Actress nomination under investigation. 

“Seems hilarious that the ‘surprise nomination’ (meaning tons of money wasn’t spent to position this actress) of a legitimately brilliant performance is being met with an investigation,” the Wednesday actress, 42, wrote in an Instagram comment on Friday, January 27, in response to a report of the Academy Awards’ review.

She continued, “So, it’s only the films and actors that can afford the campaigns that deserve recognition? Feels elitist and exclusive and, frankly, very backward to me. And I’m sure she had nothing to do with the campaigning. These things aren’t controlled or decided by the actors themselves, and yet now, her nomination will be tainted by this. And if it’s taken away, shame on them.” 

Christina’s comment came shortly after Variety reported that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced that it will implement a “review of campaign procedures” amid Andrea’s “surprise nomination.” However, the organization did not mention Andrea or her movie by name. 

“It is the Academy’s goal to ensure that the Awards competition is conducted in a fair and ethical manner, and we are committed to ensuring an inclusive awards process,” the Academy’s statement read, per the outlet. “We are conducting a review of the campaign procedures around this year’s nominees to ensure that no guidelines were violated, and to inform us whether changes to the guidelines may be needed in a new era of social media and digital communication. We have confidence in the integrity of our nomination and voting procedures and support genuine grassroots campaigns for outstanding performances.”

The indie film has reportedly come under fire for its alleged targeted campaigning for Andrea. After the 2023 Academy Awards nominations were announced on Tuesday, January 24, industry professionals and followers debated whether Andrea could be disqualified from the Best Actress category. Many cited that her movie only grossed $27,000 at the box office, according to Variety, and questioned if her film violated AMPAS regulations. 

“I admire your championing of the Indie darlings and getting them recognition,” one Instagram user commented in response to Christina. “But we cannot ignore the optics of the situation. This film was screened in March at various film festivals. It was released by Momentum in October. Then, awards season kicked off. Between then and the week of nomination voting, this film was not known until [two] weeks until the nomination deadline.” 

Other fans, however, praised the Addams Family star’s statement, with several users — including Legally Blonde actress Selma Blair — commenting with applause emojis. 

In addition to To Leslie, Andrea has also starred in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Oblivion, Amsterdam and several other projects. She has not publicly responded to the Academy’s statement.