More than 180 Academy Awards nominees turned up Monday for a luncheon honoring them at the Beverly Hilton but all eyes seemed to be focus on one man credited with rescuing the post-pandemic theatrical box office – Tom Cruise.
While Cruise is not nominated for his role as the ace pilot in summer blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick,” he and Jerry Bruckheimer are the producers of the best picture hopeful.
The fact that it is Bruckheimer’s first-ever Academy Awards nomination was another reason for the two men to celebrate at the luncheon, the first time it’s been held in person since 2020.
Cruise worked the room movie star style, schmoozing fellow nominees including Jamie Lee Curtis, Austin Butler, Guillermo Del Toro, Michelle Yeoh, Malala Yousafzai, Ke Huy Quan, Angela Bassett, Marlee Matlin, Michelle Williams and Steven Spielberg. It was Cruise’s first appearance during the awards season and it seemed like everyone wanted to get face time with him, and a photo.
“You are all winners,” said Academy president Janet Yang before addressing the elephant in the room, the slap seen and heard around the world when the now-banned Will Smith smacked Chris Rock on stage and then proceeded to scream profanities at him.
“Today, I feel it’s important to take this rare opportunity, while we’re gathered here together, to address some of the Academy’s recent challenges last year,” she said. “As I’m sure you all remember, we experienced an unprecedented event at the Oscars. What happened on stage was wholly unacceptable and the response from the organization was inadequate. We learned from this that the Academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions and particularly in times of crisis. We must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry. You should and can expect no less from us going forward. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards while creating the changes we wish to see in our industry.”
The Motion Picture Academy was under different leadership last year, and the speech by first-term president Yang made it clear that she would’ve handled the debacle differently.
The Oscars air on ABC March 12 with Jimmy Kimmel hosting.
