The co-producer of the 2021 Oscars ceremony shares reasoning behind the controversial change in the running order, after the unexpected win by Anthony Hopkins.
Steven Soderbergh, co-producer of the 2021 Oscars, has defended the decision to conclude the ceremony with Best Actor and Best Actress awards instead of the usual Best Picture, which led to an anticlimactic finish after Anthony Hopkins won over the late Chadwick Boseman.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Soderbergh explained that the change was made to fit a likely narrative, with the producers anticipating an emotional conclusion had Boseman won the Best Actor award for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The producers discussed the potential structure months in advance, even before the nominations were finalized.
Soderbergh said, “It’s our belief – that I think is not unfounded – that actors’ speeches tend to be more dramatic than producers’ speeches.” Given the expectation that Boseman’s widow would accept the award on his behalf, they feared that the moment would be so emotional that any subsequent categories, including Best Picture, would struggle to follow it.
Instead, the decision was made to close the ceremony with Best Actor, assuming that Boseman’s win would be the natural emotional climax of the night. However, Boseman lost out to Anthony Hopkins, with Hopkins, 83, unable to attend the ceremony in person due to the early hour in Wales. The abrupt ending left many feeling unsatisfied, compounded by the absence of a host to close the show. The Oscars ended quickly with Joaquin Phoenix accepting the Best Actor award for Hopkins, and the credits rolling without any further commentary.
Soderbergh acknowledged the unexpected outcome, saying that despite the original plan, the show’s conclusion did not go as intended, leaving viewers with a sense of unfulfilled closure.
