Gilbert Flores for Variety
In the final hours of Oscar voting on Tuesday, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ nominee Michelle Yeoh caused a stir when snippets of a Vogue article were shared on her Instagram account.
Yeoh shared each paragraph in multiple images from the post titled – “It’s been over two decades since we’ve had a Best Non-White Actress winner. Will that change in 2023?” One of the slides refers to fellow Best Actress nominee Cate Blanchett of “Tár.”
It reads:
“Critics would say Blanchett is the best performance – the acting veteran is, unquestionably, incredible as the prolific bandleader Lydia Tár – but it’s worth noting that she already has two Oscars (for Best Actress in a supporting role for The Aviator in 2005, and Best Actress for Blue Jasmine in 2014.) A third would perhaps confirm her status as an industry titan but, given her extensive and unparalleled work, do we have yet need further confirmation?”
The blurb continues: “Meanwhile, for Yeoh, an Oscar would change her life: her name would forever be preceded by the phrase ‘Oscar winner’, and that should allow her to land meatier roles. , after a decade of criminal underuse in Hollywood.
Yeoh has since deleted his Instagram post.
Social media users claimed the post could be a violation of Academy rules, particularly #11 titled “References to other candidates”. It states that “any tactic that singles out ‘the competition’ by name or title is expressly prohibited.”
This event resembles Andrea Riseborough’s controversy following her surprise Oscar nomination for “To Leslie.” One of the reported aggressive tactics questioned during the Academy’s review was an Instagram post on the official “To Leslie” account that was also deleted and which, coincidentally, also referenced Blanchett.
The Academy determined that the activity did not rise to the level of voiding the film’s nomination. Still, Academy CEO Bill Kramer shared in a statement that the social media tactics “caused concern”.
If the Riseborough side have not faced the consequences of their possible violations which remain unclear via Academy rules and regulations, Yeoh is expected to rest ahead of the 95th ceremony on Sunday, where many pundits expect a victory historical. Yeoh could become the second woman of color and the first Asian person to win the lead actress. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” tops all films with 11 nominations and is considered the frontrunner for best picture.
The Academy should review and possibly revise its social media policies, which were created before the boom of Instagram, TikTok and other platforms.