March 5, 2025 • 23 mins
The 2025 Academy Awards weren’t just about golden statues—they were a golden opportunity to survive a PR crisis. From a rumored affair between two co-stars, resurfaced blackface performances to the growing debate over artificial intelligence in filmmaking, this year’s Oscars put the industry’s ethical dilemmas front and center.
How did major nominees handle the heat? Taking a closer look at how these Hollywood players navigated public backlash and owned—or avoided—their past decisions. These moments aren’t just about damage control; they’re reshaping how audiences view performance, ethics, and storytelling itself. So, can artistry exist without controversy in a world that’s always watching? Let’s unpack it in this episode.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Molly McPherson (00:00):
Did you watch the Oscar telecast last Sunday
evening?
I did.
Let's chit-chat about theOscars, scandals, apologies, the
non-apologies, and then let'scompare it to the outcome.
In other words, do we thinkthey impacted the outcome of the
winners in any way?
Let's find out.
Hey there, everyone, welcome tothis episode of the PR
(00:22):
Breakdown.
I'm your host, molly McPherson.
This week, let's peel back allthe layers of all the scandals,
or the big ones at least.
Did the scandal make adifference in the voting and who
walked off the stage with anOscar?
Let's start off with thecontroversies first.
(00:42):
These are the above-the-foldheadlines.
Every year, there's probably amultitude of scandals that
plague the Oscars.
These are the ones that youheard about, you read about, you
saw it on social media or therewas a news story.
I want to get the big ones.
These are the scandals thatfollowed the categories of best
(01:03):
actor, best actress, bestpicture.
You know the names.
Let's dig into the list ofscandals.
The nominees are Fernanda Torresand the resurfacing of a
decades old blackfaceperformance by the Brazilian
actress that sparks significantdiscussion about accountability,
(01:25):
cultural evolution and howsocieties address past
injustices.
Now we've certainly had casesof people in the news having to
apologize for blackface or closeto blackface colored faces in
the past.
This was big after 2020.
Top of mind I didn't researchthis, it's just coming to mind
(01:47):
Canadian Prime Minister JustinTrudeau.
He had one, I think he wasdressed like a genie for a
costume party.
Also coming to mind, colleenBallinger.
She's the YouTube creatorformer.
I should say she is gosh.
Is she even on YouTube anymore?
A couple of years ago she hadher own scandal with other
things.
(02:07):
I did a podcast about a coupleof years ago, but one of the
issues I remember is she had itwasn't blackface, but it was
green, and she was supposed tobe green, but she was singing
all the single ladies Beyoncesongs.
So you get it.
So we've been here before.
Fernanda Torres, this wasBrazilian television.
If you're anything like me andyou're a creature of media, you
(02:30):
know the US has differentstandards when it comes to what
airs on television compared tointernational counterparts.
So we'll say that.
But this clip originated from a2008 comedy sketch called
Fantástico, from a 2008 comedysketch called Fantástico, and it
showed her portraying a maid inblackface.
Okay, not good, not good.
(02:53):
This came to light shortlyafter her Oscar nomination, for
I'm Still here.
Torres since issued a publicapology, acknowledging the harm
caused and emphasizing the needfor ongoing conversations to
combat racism.
All good the context of theapology cultural awareness.
But also at that time she hadmentioned in the early 2000s
Brazil had limited mainstreamawareness of racist history of
(03:14):
blackface, despite the blackadvocacy groups out there.
She expressed deep regret andstated that she wanted to
address the issue promptly toavoid further pain.
She committed to fosteringdialogue and advocating for
change to combat inequality andracism.
Second nominee, mikey Madisonand the intimacy coordinator
(03:38):
backlash.
The lead actress in the film,anora, faced significant
backlash for her decision not touse an intimacy coordinator
during the production of themovie Anora, which, by the way,
was my favorite film I was luckyenough to get screeners of a
lot of these films due to my guyGreg being a member of SAG, so
(04:01):
we spent a weekend watching allthe films.
This film was by far and awaymy favorite.
I really liked all of them, butthis one was fantastic.
If you saw the movie, therewere a lot of explicit scenes,
but you know already, no onereally heard about intimacy
coordinators before Blake Livelyand Justin Baldoni.
(04:24):
And the whole ends with usbrouhaha which, by the way, I'm
going to South by Southwest thisweek.
I'm going to see.
Hopefully the schedule willwork out.
I'm going to see the new movieA Simple Favor with Anna
Kendrick and Blake Lively.
Would I typically see this film?
(04:44):
No, am I seeing it because I'mgoing to be at a festival that
will be airing it and everyone'schit-chatting about Blake
Lively.
Yes, the controversy began whenMadison discussed her choice in
a variety actors-on-actorsinterview with Pamela Anderson
Gosh.
I loved her.
She wasn't nominated, but theLast Showgirl boy did.
(05:05):
I like that movie as well.
She explained that she and herco-star mutually decided to
forego an intimacy coordinatorto maintain a smaller, more
intimate environment.
She emphasized that theexperience was positive for her
and it aligned with the directorSean Baker's focus on
authenticity.
A lot of the critics argued thatthe decision could set a
(05:27):
harmful precedent in the filmindustry, but I'm going to argue
that Ryan Reynolds and BlakeLively already set the precedent
for just throwing the intimacycoordinator into the mix of
their crisis and turning it intoa thing and diminishing the
importance of it.
Supporters of Madison contendthat she exercised her right to
(05:49):
make a decision about her ownbody and her own work
environment.
They argued that since she andher co-star consented to the
arrangement.
There were no issues during thefilming.
And they were both youngMadison she's 23, I think.
When I was watching her accepther award and when I was
watching her sitting on top ofher actor in the film, I'm
(06:09):
thinking I have a daughter thisage.
I don't know how I wouldprocess it if I was the parent,
but I'm sure her parents weremighty pleased by the end of the
night.
All right, the next nominee theBrutalist.
Nominee the Brutalist.
I found watching the Brutalistrather brutal.
(06:30):
It was long.
I was not into it.
And that's the problem withstreamers, which Sean Baker, the
director, the creator behindAnora that was his tentpole
advocacy would send people backto the theaters to save
independent filmmaking.
I see the argument because Iwould have watched it, probably
been more engaged, would haveliked it a lot more, but I
didn't like it.
But what came out after the factis the use of AI to refine the
(06:52):
Hungarian accents.
That started a debate aboutthis intersection of technology,
creativity and culturalsensitivity, because, remember,
we're talking about accents.
The film's editor revealed theyused an AI tool to adjust the
dialogue of Adrian Brody andFelicity Jones, two people who
(07:12):
do not have Hungarian accents.
Adrian Brody, who already wonan Oscar, is known for being the
actor who can capture theaccent, and there's no doubt
without the AI enhancement, hestill would have done an amazing
job.
The AI was used to perfectcertain vowels and letters that
proved challenging when othertechnology was attempted, so it
(07:38):
makes me wonder like how longhas that technology been there?
Most people wouldn't know aperfect Hungarian accent, but
bringing in AI for linguisticauthenticity does diminish the
value of that very humanperformance.
You can make it more accuratefrom a language perspective, but
(08:02):
does the actor, the actress,deserve the award?
The next nominee?
It's Conclave versus theconservative Catholics.
As a Catholic the conservativeCatholics I'm sorry they get
under my skin.
As a Roman Catholic, as someonewho went to Catholic schools
(08:23):
for 16 years of Catholic schools, and I lived Catholic schools
conservative Catholics justtying themselves into
conservative politics and thenallowing it to spill over into
everyone else's lives, I have nopatience for it.
A little bias, yes, butConclave, the film found itself
under fire with theseconservative Catholic leaders
(08:45):
because they branded it asanti-Catholic propaganda.
Makes me crazy even hearing it.
So the film that was directedby Edward Berger and is based on
a 2016 novel by Robert Harriscreated a bit of a clash between
artistic expression andCatholic religious values.
I thought it was fantastic.
(09:06):
I loved it, absolutely lovedthe film.
It was one of the firstOscar-nominated films that I
watched before it was evennominated.
I can't get into it too much ifyou haven't seen it.
But it's a ideologicalinfighting among cardinals
during a fictional papalelection, but ever so tightly
bound closely to current eventswith the Pope.
(09:29):
That's why I'm sure ConanO'Brien probably had a whole
slew of conclave jokes papaljokes ready for the go, but
probably canned all of them.
He's a Catholic, an IrishCatholic.
He probably thought it would beinsensitive if the current Pope
, pope Francis, who now is inquote, acute respiratory failure
, but they say he's alert.
(09:50):
But the timing it was too tight.
I think Conan O'Brien wouldhave had a scandal on his hands
if he mentioned it.
The critics are Bishop RobertBarron and Megyn Kelly, all
arguing that the film distortsCatholic teaching and undermines
the sanctity of the church.
I'm sorry, I just I can't standit.
(10:11):
Megyn Kelly, I would assumefrom the name alone she grew up
Catholic and it just makes mecrazy that you cannot separate a
film, a fictional film, fromideology.
It makes me nuts that you can'tseparate the artistry of a
fictional film with Catholicdoctrine, and I think Ralph
Fiennes was fantastic in it.
Stanley Tucci I loved thismovie but it was a scandal
(10:35):
nonetheless.
The next nominee Ariana Grande,ethan Slater those two hooked up
during the filming.
Both of them were with partners.
Ariana Grande played the partof Glinda or Galinda.
(10:55):
Ethan Slater played the role ofBuck.
They weren't romanticallypaired in the film, but there
was a romantic pairing when theywere filming it.
Ethan Slater was married.
His wife, lily J, was a highschool girlfriend.
They had a young son.
This was messy.
When it happened it spilled allover TikTok.
I'll link to the podcast whereI discussed this affair in the
(11:17):
show notes.
But this was sticky for Wicked,because Wicked is supposed to
be this huge blockbuster of afilm and it certainly was when
it came out.
But they did not want anyscandal touching Wicked at all.
United Artists they did a goodjob quashing all of this right
away.
There was some residual,certainly on social media, but
(11:37):
Ariana Grande was published andwas picked up by all press.
She talked about the difficultyof adjusting to this new
reality of being a single parent.
Then it segued into this mediafrenzy surrounding her
(12:04):
soon-to-be former husband'srelationship with Ariana Grande.
It was not a good look for thecouple, but they remained silent
and, as of today, it appearsthat they're still a couple.
Although they did not sit witheach other during the broadcast,
it's likely due to status.
In the film.
Ariana Grande was one of thelead actors, even though she was
nominated for a supportingactress, so those two didn't sit
(12:26):
next to each other.
Also, with Wicked Cynthia Erivo, she played the role of Elphaba
.
She's the British actress ofNigerian descent.
Her backlash was not huge, butit certainly came out.
I discussed it in thataforementioned podcast.
(12:47):
She received a lot of backlashfrom resurfaced tweets.
Always, when you ever hear theword resurfaced in a crisis or
scandal, it involves a tweet.
It's always a tweet.
She tweeted something in 2013.
At the time, she was gettingsome guff for portraying Harriet
Tubman when she wasn't anAmerican actress.
She replied in a tweetreferencing quote ghetto
(13:09):
American accent, which naturallysparked some controversy.
Revo repeatedly addressed theissue, claimed her tweets were
taken out of context.
She didn't intend to mockanyone and so many people were
behind her in this film that itdidn't get a lot of traction.
The backlash is going to happen, but if the press doesn't pick
it up, then that scandal is notgoing to be as big and as
(13:32):
damaging.
Next nominee the director of theOscar-nominated film, the
Apprentice Director, ali Abassi,faced allegations of sexual
misconduct stemming from anincident at the Golden Globes
hosted by.
At the time, his agency, caa.
Reports indicated he wasintoxicated and allegedly groped
(13:54):
an A-list actor.
I have to look at the blindgossip.
I don't know who the A-listactor is.
A lot of the specifics of theincident have been disputed.
Abassi described it as aplayful slap on the rear.
He apologized for making theactor feel uncomfortable, but
other accounts suggest that thebehavior was more invasive,
involving inappropriate physicalcontact.
(14:15):
In the aftermath, he partedways with his US representation
at CAA and it remains unclear ifhe was dropped or left
voluntarily.
I would assume that he wasdropped.
He also ended a partnershipwith his PR firm and his legal
representative, so that was aclear-cut cancellation.
Though he's still representedby a team in the UK, he did come
(14:38):
out and publicly acknowledgehis actions as a mistake.
He stated that he apologizedimmediately and learned a
valuable life lesson.
But despite his efforts tocontrol the narrative, the
explanation downplays theseverity of the incident.
If that were a woman, thatwould be a much, much bigger
story.
So they just shut it downimmediately and it definitely
(15:00):
overshadowed the film theApprentice.
During the awards season, thebig nominee, amelia Perez my
goodness, it became a lightningrod for controversy.
There were so many issuessurrounding this film
Representation of trans identity, mexican culture, the conduct
of the lead actress and then thedirector Chiming in on the lead
(15:41):
actress.
This film from Netflix,directed by Jacques Audidard, is
a Spanish language Frenchmusical.
That follows happening, because, of course, that's what happens
.
A lot of these scandals just goaway to die.
But when the spotlight hits afilm or a person, whatever it is
, journalists and people startdigging.
And this is what they found.
(16:03):
And this is what they found.
First there was the leadactress, carla Sophia Gascon.
She is the first openlytransgender nominee for Best
Actress at the Oscars.
Faced severe criticism foroffensive tweets from 2020 to
2025.
Again resurfaced and theyincluded anti-Muslim remarks,
(16:24):
criticisms of diversity effortsat the Oscars, derogatory
comments about George Floyd,black Lives Matter.
It was a mess, inexcusable,very difficult to account for.
Director called her commentsinexcusable and said that they
(16:50):
overshadowed much of the filmawards campaigns, which we'd
have to agree with that.
Another criticism GLAADcriticized the trans
representation.
They said it was a stepbackward and criticized its
reliance on harmful stereotypesand tropes.
So the film's portrayal ofAmelia's transition as a
manipulative, immoral person.
(17:11):
Many in the LGBTQ pluscommunity took exception to that
portrayal.
Next, there was a lot ofaccusations about cultural
stereotyping and the casting ofnon-Mexican actors and crew
members.
Many felt that it was evidenceof cultural insensitivity, the
(17:35):
director admitting to conductingminimal research on Mexico,
which fueled the backlash.
Now let's get into the winnersand see if these scandals
impacted the outcome at the 2025Academy Awards.
All right, in the category ofBest Actor, adrian Brody won for
the Brutalist, so hispowerhouse performance, which
(17:57):
was aided by AI, won the day.
If you watch the broadcast, yousaw Adrian Brody's acceptance
speech, which we are already ina scandal about AI, so you've
already had an enhancementaround your performance.
That wasn't a time to enhanceyour acceptance speech.
It was a time to diminish it.
(18:18):
Telling the orchestra to stop.
This isn't his first rodeo.
When the walk-off music startedno, he should have walked off
at that time.
The walk-off music started no,he should have walked off at
that time.
All right in the best actresscategory, mikey Madison for
Anora.
I was so excited.
She totally deserved this.
Before I saw Anora, I was allin for Demi Moore in the
(18:39):
Substance.
I thought the Substance wasincredible.
But Mikey Madison I justthought Anora was fascinating.
But part of her win, I think,was how she captured hearts and
probably older male Academyvoters with her very raw
portrayal of a sex worker.
She showed a raw vulnerability.
(18:59):
So for her to choose with herco-star to not use an intimacy
coordinator, I think, fits intothat role.
It's as if she said, no, Istand by my artistry and this is
going to be fine.
I'm glad that this scandal didnot deter the voters.
The same for Best Director SeanBaker.
He won four Oscars.
(19:20):
I loved his speeches, thatrallying cry for the communal
movie-going experience.
It was so heartfelt and theanti-streaming message was a
very indirect hit at an industrythat really is running
roughshod over Hollywood.
But Enora, mikey Sean Baker,best film.
(19:40):
It wasn't just a film, it was astatement and I just loved it.
I can't say enough.
Next we have best supportingactor, karen Culkin.
For Real Pain, no backlash.
The best supporting actress wasZoe Saldana.
Her acceptance speech waswonderful.
It was right on the nose forall of the controversies
surrounding the film,surrounding the film.
(20:03):
They wanted to give it tosomeone.
Okay, yes, she is not ofMexican heritage, but voters
likely looked at her as someonefrom Hispanic heritage.
She could speak the language.
She was exceptional in the role.
She had been one of theseactresses who's been around now
(20:24):
for some time and she's been inother Oscar-winning films.
It was deserving.
I think Oscar voters probablywanted to give the film
something and they had to findthe best person who deserved it,
and that was certainly in thiscategory Carla Sofia Gascon.
She was nominated as a leadactress.
She was in the audience.
She showed up, which you knowwhat Good for her.
Her apology wasn't good.
She didn't really takeaccountability for it.
Separate from that, showing up,I think, was a good idea.
(20:49):
What can we take away from thisbreakdown?
What did we learn?
I have four thoughts.
One art versus scandal.
It's clear that, while scandalscreate buzz and supercharge the
algorithm and fuel controversyand news stories and chatter,
true artistry and compellingstorytelling eventually win the
(21:09):
day.
Many of these winners provethat, despite every PR mishap,
genuine talent tends to resonate.
Two crisis as a catalyst forconversation.
Each controversy, from theoutdated skits to the safety
oversights to the AI, all of itsparked the conversations that
need to be had about culture,respect and creative
(21:30):
responsibility.
So, yeah, sometimes it's blownout of proportion, but it does
create conversations online andsubsequent news stories.
It creates that conversationwhere we need to have a lot of
these changes from past behavior.
That is some good that can comeout of crisis Because, like I
said, every crisis has anopportunity.
Number three the power of asolid PR response.
(21:53):
In every crisis, there's alesson in communication.
Whether it's how a directorturns backlash from his actress
not accepting an intimacycoordinator into a rallying cry
for theaters, how actors demandto be heard into a rallying cry
for theaters, how actors demandto be heard If it's an actress
accepting her award and thenthanking her immigrant parents
and grandparents, a solid PRresponse and a message always
(22:16):
wins.
And you know what?
There was one moreOscar-related scandal, and that
was from Hulu, owned by ABC.
The two networks workedtogether.
They were streaming the Oscarsand the streaming shut down as
the Best Actress Oscar was beingawarded.
That is a massive failure.
(22:37):
So they said that they weregoing to get to the bottom of it
, but that was bad.
That's all for this week'sepisode of the PR Breakdown.
Be sure to follow me on Substack.
You can be a paid member or afree member.
You can find me atprbreakdownmedia.
I also have a link in the shownotes.
I post weekly articles.
(22:58):
I do lives daily notes.
Members can DM me.
I have an Ask Molly sectionwhere you can ask me questions
about anything relating to PRcrisis management, whether it's
professionally or personally inyour life.
I would love to see you overthere.
I'm no longer on Patreon.
Everything is coming over toSubstack and can I tell you,
(23:21):
substack is great.
If you haven't tried it, get onthere immediately, especially
now.
It's great for news and forfollowing other content creators
journalists just leaving theirpositions either newspaper,
television, broadcast, whatever.
It's a great app.
I hope you join me over there.
All right, everyone.
That's all for this week.
I'll see you next week.
(23:41):
Bye for now.
Did you watch the Oscar telecast last Sunday
evening?
I did.
Let's chit-chat about theOscars, scandals, apologies, the
non-apologies, and then let'scompare it to the outcome.
In other words, do we thinkthey impacted the outcome of the
winners in any way?
Let's find out.
Hey there, everyone, welcome tothis episode of the PR
(00:22):
Breakdown.
I'm your host, molly McPherson.
This week, let's peel back allthe layers of all the scandals,
or the big ones at least.
Did the scandal make adifference in the voting and who
walked off the stage with anOscar?
Let's start off with thecontroversies first.
(00:42):
These are the above-the-foldheadlines.
Every year, there's probably amultitude of scandals that
plague the Oscars.
These are the ones that youheard about, you read about, you
saw it on social media or therewas a news story.
I want to get the big ones.
These are the scandals thatfollowed the categories of best
(01:03):
actor, best actress, bestpicture.
You know the names.
Let's dig into the list ofscandals.
The nominees are Fernanda Torresand the resurfacing of a
decades old blackfaceperformance by the Brazilian
actress that sparks significantdiscussion about accountability,
(01:25):
cultural evolution and howsocieties address past
injustices.
Now we've certainly had casesof people in the news having to
apologize for blackface or closeto blackface colored faces in
the past.
This was big after 2020.
Top of mind I didn't researchthis, it's just coming to mind
(01:47):
Canadian Prime Minister JustinTrudeau.
He had one, I think he wasdressed like a genie for a
costume party.
Also coming to mind, colleenBallinger.
She's the YouTube creatorformer.
I should say she is gosh.
Is she even on YouTube anymore?
A couple of years ago she hadher own scandal with other
things.
(02:07):
I did a podcast about a coupleof years ago, but one of the
issues I remember is she had itwasn't blackface, but it was
green, and she was supposed tobe green, but she was singing
all the single ladies Beyoncesongs.
So you get it.
So we've been here before.
Fernanda Torres, this wasBrazilian television.
If you're anything like me andyou're a creature of media, you
(02:30):
know the US has differentstandards when it comes to what
airs on television compared tointernational counterparts.
So we'll say that.
But this clip originated from a2008 comedy sketch called
Fantástico, from a 2008 comedysketch called Fantástico, and it
showed her portraying a maid inblackface.
Okay, not good, not good.
(02:53):
This came to light shortlyafter her Oscar nomination, for
I'm Still here.
Torres since issued a publicapology, acknowledging the harm
caused and emphasizing the needfor ongoing conversations to
combat racism.
All good the context of theapology cultural awareness.
But also at that time she hadmentioned in the early 2000s
Brazil had limited mainstreamawareness of racist history of
(03:14):
blackface, despite the blackadvocacy groups out there.
She expressed deep regret andstated that she wanted to
address the issue promptly toavoid further pain.
She committed to fosteringdialogue and advocating for
change to combat inequality andracism.
Second nominee, mikey Madisonand the intimacy coordinator
(03:38):
backlash.
The lead actress in the film,anora, faced significant
backlash for her decision not touse an intimacy coordinator
during the production of themovie Anora, which, by the way,
was my favorite film I was luckyenough to get screeners of a
lot of these films due to my guyGreg being a member of SAG, so
(04:01):
we spent a weekend watching allthe films.
This film was by far and awaymy favorite.
I really liked all of them, butthis one was fantastic.
If you saw the movie, therewere a lot of explicit scenes,
but you know already, no onereally heard about intimacy
coordinators before Blake Livelyand Justin Baldoni.
(04:24):
And the whole ends with usbrouhaha which, by the way, I'm
going to South by Southwest thisweek.
I'm going to see.
Hopefully the schedule willwork out.
I'm going to see the new movieA Simple Favor with Anna
Kendrick and Blake Lively.
Would I typically see this film?
(04:44):
No, am I seeing it because I'mgoing to be at a festival that
will be airing it and everyone'schit-chatting about Blake
Lively.
Yes, the controversy began whenMadison discussed her choice in
a variety actors-on-actorsinterview with Pamela Anderson
Gosh.
I loved her.
She wasn't nominated, but theLast Showgirl boy did.
(05:05):
I like that movie as well.
She explained that she and herco-star mutually decided to
forego an intimacy coordinatorto maintain a smaller, more
intimate environment.
She emphasized that theexperience was positive for her
and it aligned with the directorSean Baker's focus on
authenticity.
A lot of the critics argued thatthe decision could set a
(05:27):
harmful precedent in the filmindustry, but I'm going to argue
that Ryan Reynolds and BlakeLively already set the precedent
for just throwing the intimacycoordinator into the mix of
their crisis and turning it intoa thing and diminishing the
importance of it.
Supporters of Madison contendthat she exercised her right to
(05:49):
make a decision about her ownbody and her own work
environment.
They argued that since she andher co-star consented to the
arrangement.
There were no issues during thefilming.
And they were both youngMadison she's 23, I think.
When I was watching her accepther award and when I was
watching her sitting on top ofher actor in the film, I'm
(06:09):
thinking I have a daughter thisage.
I don't know how I wouldprocess it if I was the parent,
but I'm sure her parents weremighty pleased by the end of the
night.
All right, the next nominee theBrutalist.
Nominee the Brutalist.
I found watching the Brutalistrather brutal.
(06:30):
It was long.
I was not into it.
And that's the problem withstreamers, which Sean Baker, the
director, the creator behindAnora that was his tentpole
advocacy would send people backto the theaters to save
independent filmmaking.
I see the argument because Iwould have watched it, probably
been more engaged, would haveliked it a lot more, but I
didn't like it.
But what came out after the factis the use of AI to refine the
(06:52):
Hungarian accents.
That started a debate aboutthis intersection of technology,
creativity and culturalsensitivity, because, remember,
we're talking about accents.
The film's editor revealed theyused an AI tool to adjust the
dialogue of Adrian Brody andFelicity Jones, two people who
(07:12):
do not have Hungarian accents.
Adrian Brody, who already wonan Oscar, is known for being the
actor who can capture theaccent, and there's no doubt
without the AI enhancement, hestill would have done an amazing
job.
The AI was used to perfectcertain vowels and letters that
proved challenging when othertechnology was attempted, so it
(07:38):
makes me wonder like how longhas that technology been there?
Most people wouldn't know aperfect Hungarian accent, but
bringing in AI for linguisticauthenticity does diminish the
value of that very humanperformance.
You can make it more accuratefrom a language perspective, but
(08:02):
does the actor, the actress,deserve the award?
The next nominee?
It's Conclave versus theconservative Catholics.
As a Catholic the conservativeCatholics I'm sorry they get
under my skin.
As a Roman Catholic, as someonewho went to Catholic schools
(08:23):
for 16 years of Catholic schools, and I lived Catholic schools
conservative Catholics justtying themselves into
conservative politics and thenallowing it to spill over into
everyone else's lives, I have nopatience for it.
A little bias, yes, butConclave, the film found itself
under fire with theseconservative Catholic leaders
(08:45):
because they branded it asanti-Catholic propaganda.
Makes me crazy even hearing it.
So the film that was directedby Edward Berger and is based on
a 2016 novel by Robert Harriscreated a bit of a clash between
artistic expression andCatholic religious values.
I thought it was fantastic.
(09:06):
I loved it, absolutely lovedthe film.
It was one of the firstOscar-nominated films that I
watched before it was evennominated.
I can't get into it too much ifyou haven't seen it.
But it's a ideologicalinfighting among cardinals
during a fictional papalelection, but ever so tightly
bound closely to current eventswith the Pope.
(09:29):
That's why I'm sure ConanO'Brien probably had a whole
slew of conclave jokes papaljokes ready for the go, but
probably canned all of them.
He's a Catholic, an IrishCatholic.
He probably thought it would beinsensitive if the current Pope
, pope Francis, who now is inquote, acute respiratory failure
, but they say he's alert.
(09:50):
But the timing it was too tight.
I think Conan O'Brien wouldhave had a scandal on his hands
if he mentioned it.
The critics are Bishop RobertBarron and Megyn Kelly, all
arguing that the film distortsCatholic teaching and undermines
the sanctity of the church.
I'm sorry, I just I can't standit.
(10:11):
Megyn Kelly, I would assumefrom the name alone she grew up
Catholic and it just makes mecrazy that you cannot separate a
film, a fictional film, fromideology.
It makes me nuts that you can'tseparate the artistry of a
fictional film with Catholicdoctrine, and I think Ralph
Fiennes was fantastic in it.
Stanley Tucci I loved thismovie but it was a scandal
(10:35):
nonetheless.
The next nominee Ariana Grande,ethan Slater those two hooked up
during the filming.
Both of them were with partners.
Ariana Grande played the partof Glinda or Galinda.
(10:55):
Ethan Slater played the role ofBuck.
They weren't romanticallypaired in the film, but there
was a romantic pairing when theywere filming it.
Ethan Slater was married.
His wife, lily J, was a highschool girlfriend.
They had a young son.
This was messy.
When it happened it spilled allover TikTok.
I'll link to the podcast whereI discussed this affair in the
(11:17):
show notes.
But this was sticky for Wicked,because Wicked is supposed to
be this huge blockbuster of afilm and it certainly was when
it came out.
But they did not want anyscandal touching Wicked at all.
United Artists they did a goodjob quashing all of this right
away.
There was some residual,certainly on social media, but
(11:37):
Ariana Grande was published andwas picked up by all press.
She talked about the difficultyof adjusting to this new
reality of being a single parent.
Then it segued into this mediafrenzy surrounding her
(12:04):
soon-to-be former husband'srelationship with Ariana Grande.
It was not a good look for thecouple, but they remained silent
and, as of today, it appearsthat they're still a couple.
Although they did not sit witheach other during the broadcast,
it's likely due to status.
In the film.
Ariana Grande was one of thelead actors, even though she was
nominated for a supportingactress, so those two didn't sit
(12:26):
next to each other.
Also, with Wicked Cynthia Erivo, she played the role of Elphaba
.
She's the British actress ofNigerian descent.
Her backlash was not huge, butit certainly came out.
I discussed it in thataforementioned podcast.
(12:47):
She received a lot of backlashfrom resurfaced tweets.
Always, when you ever hear theword resurfaced in a crisis or
scandal, it involves a tweet.
It's always a tweet.
She tweeted something in 2013.
At the time, she was gettingsome guff for portraying Harriet
Tubman when she wasn't anAmerican actress.
She replied in a tweetreferencing quote ghetto
(13:09):
American accent, which naturallysparked some controversy.
Revo repeatedly addressed theissue, claimed her tweets were
taken out of context.
She didn't intend to mockanyone and so many people were
behind her in this film that itdidn't get a lot of traction.
The backlash is going to happen, but if the press doesn't pick
it up, then that scandal is notgoing to be as big and as
(13:32):
damaging.
Next nominee the director of theOscar-nominated film, the
Apprentice Director, ali Abassi,faced allegations of sexual
misconduct stemming from anincident at the Golden Globes
hosted by.
At the time, his agency, caa.
Reports indicated he wasintoxicated and allegedly groped
(13:54):
an A-list actor.
I have to look at the blindgossip.
I don't know who the A-listactor is.
A lot of the specifics of theincident have been disputed.
Abassi described it as aplayful slap on the rear.
He apologized for making theactor feel uncomfortable, but
other accounts suggest that thebehavior was more invasive,
involving inappropriate physicalcontact.
(14:15):
In the aftermath, he partedways with his US representation
at CAA and it remains unclear ifhe was dropped or left
voluntarily.
I would assume that he wasdropped.
He also ended a partnershipwith his PR firm and his legal
representative, so that was aclear-cut cancellation.
Though he's still representedby a team in the UK, he did come
(14:38):
out and publicly acknowledgehis actions as a mistake.
He stated that he apologizedimmediately and learned a
valuable life lesson.
But despite his efforts tocontrol the narrative, the
explanation downplays theseverity of the incident.
If that were a woman, thatwould be a much, much bigger
story.
So they just shut it downimmediately and it definitely
(15:00):
overshadowed the film theApprentice.
During the awards season, thebig nominee, amelia Perez my
goodness, it became a lightningrod for controversy.
There were so many issuessurrounding this film
Representation of trans identity, mexican culture, the conduct
of the lead actress and then thedirector Chiming in on the lead
(15:41):
actress.
This film from Netflix,directed by Jacques Audidard, is
a Spanish language Frenchmusical.
That follows happening, because, of course, that's what happens
.
A lot of these scandals just goaway to die.
But when the spotlight hits afilm or a person, whatever it is
, journalists and people startdigging.
And this is what they found.
(16:03):
And this is what they found.
First there was the leadactress, carla Sophia Gascon.
She is the first openlytransgender nominee for Best
Actress at the Oscars.
Faced severe criticism foroffensive tweets from 2020 to
2025.
Again resurfaced and theyincluded anti-Muslim remarks,
(16:24):
criticisms of diversity effortsat the Oscars, derogatory
comments about George Floyd,black Lives Matter.
It was a mess, inexcusable,very difficult to account for.
Director called her commentsinexcusable and said that they
(16:50):
overshadowed much of the filmawards campaigns, which we'd
have to agree with that.
Another criticism GLAADcriticized the trans
representation.
They said it was a stepbackward and criticized its
reliance on harmful stereotypesand tropes.
So the film's portrayal ofAmelia's transition as a
manipulative, immoral person.
(17:11):
Many in the LGBTQ pluscommunity took exception to that
portrayal.
Next, there was a lot ofaccusations about cultural
stereotyping and the casting ofnon-Mexican actors and crew
members.
Many felt that it was evidenceof cultural insensitivity, the
(17:35):
director admitting to conductingminimal research on Mexico,
which fueled the backlash.
Now let's get into the winnersand see if these scandals
impacted the outcome at the 2025Academy Awards.
All right, in the category ofBest Actor, adrian Brody won for
the Brutalist, so hispowerhouse performance, which
(17:57):
was aided by AI, won the day.
If you watch the broadcast, yousaw Adrian Brody's acceptance
speech, which we are already ina scandal about AI, so you've
already had an enhancementaround your performance.
That wasn't a time to enhanceyour acceptance speech.
It was a time to diminish it.
(18:18):
Telling the orchestra to stop.
This isn't his first rodeo.
When the walk-off music startedno, he should have walked off
at that time.
The walk-off music started no,he should have walked off at
that time.
All right in the best actresscategory, mikey Madison for
Anora.
I was so excited.
She totally deserved this.
Before I saw Anora, I was allin for Demi Moore in the
(18:39):
Substance.
I thought the Substance wasincredible.
But Mikey Madison I justthought Anora was fascinating.
But part of her win, I think,was how she captured hearts and
probably older male Academyvoters with her very raw
portrayal of a sex worker.
She showed a raw vulnerability.
(18:59):
So for her to choose with herco-star to not use an intimacy
coordinator, I think, fits intothat role.
It's as if she said, no, Istand by my artistry and this is
going to be fine.
I'm glad that this scandal didnot deter the voters.
The same for Best Director SeanBaker.
He won four Oscars.
(19:20):
I loved his speeches, thatrallying cry for the communal
movie-going experience.
It was so heartfelt and theanti-streaming message was a
very indirect hit at an industrythat really is running
roughshod over Hollywood.
But Enora, mikey Sean Baker,best film.
(19:40):
It wasn't just a film, it was astatement and I just loved it.
I can't say enough.
Next we have best supportingactor, karen Culkin.
For Real Pain, no backlash.
The best supporting actress wasZoe Saldana.
Her acceptance speech waswonderful.
It was right on the nose forall of the controversies
surrounding the film,surrounding the film.
(20:03):
They wanted to give it tosomeone.
Okay, yes, she is not ofMexican heritage, but voters
likely looked at her as someonefrom Hispanic heritage.
She could speak the language.
She was exceptional in the role.
She had been one of theseactresses who's been around now
(20:24):
for some time and she's been inother Oscar-winning films.
It was deserving.
I think Oscar voters probablywanted to give the film
something and they had to findthe best person who deserved it,
and that was certainly in thiscategory Carla Sofia Gascon.
She was nominated as a leadactress.
She was in the audience.
She showed up, which you knowwhat Good for her.
Her apology wasn't good.
She didn't really takeaccountability for it.
Separate from that, showing up,I think, was a good idea.
(20:49):
What can we take away from thisbreakdown?
What did we learn?
I have four thoughts.
One art versus scandal.
It's clear that, while scandalscreate buzz and supercharge the
algorithm and fuel controversyand news stories and chatter,
true artistry and compellingstorytelling eventually win the
(21:09):
day.
Many of these winners provethat, despite every PR mishap,
genuine talent tends to resonate.
Two crisis as a catalyst forconversation.
Each controversy, from theoutdated skits to the safety
oversights to the AI, all of itsparked the conversations that
need to be had about culture,respect and creative
(21:30):
responsibility.
So, yeah, sometimes it's blownout of proportion, but it does
create conversations online andsubsequent news stories.
It creates that conversationwhere we need to have a lot of
these changes from past behavior.
That is some good that can comeout of crisis Because, like I
said, every crisis has anopportunity.
Number three the power of asolid PR response.
(21:53):
In every crisis, there's alesson in communication.
Whether it's how a directorturns backlash from his actress
not accepting an intimacycoordinator into a rallying cry
for theaters, how actors demandto be heard into a rallying cry
for theaters, how actors demandto be heard If it's an actress
accepting her award and thenthanking her immigrant parents
and grandparents, a solid PRresponse and a message always
(22:16):
wins.
And you know what?
There was one moreOscar-related scandal, and that
was from Hulu, owned by ABC.
The two networks workedtogether.
They were streaming the Oscarsand the streaming shut down as
the Best Actress Oscar was beingawarded.
That is a massive failure.
(22:37):
So they said that they weregoing to get to the bottom of it
, but that was bad.
That's all for this week'sepisode of the PR Breakdown.
Be sure to follow me on Substack.
You can be a paid member or afree member.
You can find me atprbreakdownmedia.
I also have a link in the shownotes.
I post weekly articles.
(22:58):
I do lives daily notes.
Members can DM me.
I have an Ask Molly sectionwhere you can ask me questions
about anything relating to PRcrisis management, whether it's
professionally or personally inyour life.
I would love to see you overthere.
I'm no longer on Patreon.
Everything is coming over toSubstack and can I tell you,
(23:21):
substack is great.
If you haven't tried it, get onthere immediately, especially
now.
It's great for news and forfollowing other content creators
journalists just leaving theirpositions either newspaper,
television, broadcast, whatever.
It's a great app.
I hope you join me over there.
All right, everyone.
That's all for this week.
I'll see you next week.
(23:41):
Bye for now.
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