And the Oscar for "Best Male Actor in a Leading Role" goes to…
we'll tell you one thing. It was NOT the late and brilliant Chadwick Boseman. Instead,
the Oscar went to the legendary Anthony Hopkins, who, to fans' dismay, was not available to accept
the prestigious award. The entire evening pointed towards Boseman receiving the posthumous award,
with the sequence of the category even switched around for the FIRST time
in Oscar HISTORY. The nominee for Best Actor was moved to the end of the ceremony,
leaving many to assume it was to honour the late Black Panther actor. People hoped for a tribute
that would follow his Oscar win. But sadly for many, the awards took a different turn.
And before we give you all the juicy details,
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Sir Anthony played the role of an elderly man struggling with Alzheimer's
in the film The Father. The heart-wrenching performance earned him another academy award,
but it seems like the actor was not prepared for his own victory. The ageing star had taken the
day to visit his father's graveyard, then tucked into bed for a good night’s rest.
That's right, Hopkins was fast asleep at his home in Wales as his name was being called out, with
no intention of making a virtual appearance as he probably had no idea he would take the award home.
The actor surprisingly woke up to the news of his success. Here's what he had to say about it.
Well, Sir Hopkins was not the only person who "really didn't expect" to win the award.
Twitter was in an uproar at the disappointing announcement.
"The Oscars were so sure that Chadwick Boseman was going to win that they REARRANGED THE ENTIRE
CEREMONY so his category could be last, and then they gave the award to Anthony Hopkins
instead...the most chaotic and unhinged thing I've ever seen."
One user went as far as comparing the ending of the academy awards to the downward spiral
of the last Game Of Thrones Season. Fans immediately split into two groups, those
who agreed with Sir Anthony's victorious win and those who believed Boseman was unfairly snubbed.
Chadwick had been diagnosed with cancer in 2016, and for the next four years, the star delivered
every role as though it was the last one he would perform. Because for the dying actor,
it may have been. And nothing less could be said about his recent Oscar-nominated role.
Boseman plays a very ambitious trumpeter fighting against all odds to reach his
dreams but is betrayed by the same industry he so desperately wants to join. Many felt
his transcendent performance, which had earned him a Golden Globe, deserved an Oscar nod. The
heart of one fan broke as he realised the actor would never get another chance to win an Oscar,
"Anthony Hopkins is a masterful actor." the user wrote, "But Chadwick Boseman not
getting acknowledged for his body of work and a spellbinding performance that he delivered
while DYING OF CANCER is the kind of miss that will haunt the #Oscars for years."
Not everyone agreed with this. Chadwick, who had not been nominated for an Oscar while alive,
was widely expected to receive the academy award in his passing.
But this notion left many feeling as though the expectation for Boseman to win was solely
based on his death rather than the talent he demonstrated in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. But
Team Boseman came to the actor's rescue to remind the world why the actor deserved to win. One user
made it crystal clear that it had absolutely nothing to do with his passing nor his sickness.
"#ChadwickBoseman should have won. Not for the sake of history, wokeness, narrative, or charity.
He should have won because he gave the most transcendent performance of the year. Period."
Many blamed the academy for using Boseman's death as a way to capitalise on ratings.
Before the Oscars on Sunday, it was announced that the nominees would receive extraordinary digital
artwork, redeemable by an NFT - non-fungible token. And the art piece was none other than the
late actor's portrait, which was transformed to look like the head of the Oscar statue.
Critics have used words like "heartbreaking" and "astonishing" to describe the actor's performance.
His co-star shared a moment from the film where Chadwick's
performance caused everything to come to a stop. He described it as
"something you could not look away from ... It was an extraordinary moment."
So it's safe to say that the actor's terminal illness was
not why fans thought he deserved to win.
Meanwhile, others saw Hopkins win as a political snub that aimed at
helping the actor make Oscar history as the oldest actor to receive the accolade.
But is this true? Or did Hopkins deserve this achievement fair and square?
Well, you know what they say, nothing is ever just black and white,
and we cannot leave the grey matter unaddressed.
Both actors told riveting stories that will stay in our hearts.
Hopkins was known for being an actor who never misses the target when portraying a character.
Who could ever forget that slithering tongue in The Silence Of The Lambs? On the other hand, the
late Chadwick Boseman was trusted with the roles of only the most legendary people in the world
because of the amount of skill he portrays as an actor. It's hard to imagine anyone else playing
James Brown in such a believable way or leading the nation of Wakanda the way the actor did.
A producer-friend tried to put many hearts at ease, sharing that the star would not
have been upset not to receive the award, and that should encourage everyone to find peace.
"He would, however, want us to go back to work tomorrow aiming unconscionably high in both art
and humanity." he added "You want to honour Chadwick's memory? Make brilliant work."
And phenomenal work was precisely what the late great was known for. His Oscar-nominated role was
not the only movie he starred in while fighting a losing battle. The lost star had given his
precious last years to films, such as 21 Bridges, The Avengers and Da 5 Bloods, to name a few.
The actor portrayed the infamous Black Panther just after receiving news of his diagnosis.
He shared that two kids who had also been suffering from the illness during his most
challenging moment motivated him enough not to quit. “’They’re trying to hold on
until this movie comes,” Boseman disclosed referring to the kids.
But sadly, the beloved marvel film premiered after their death.
And a teary Chadwick was left to share the touching story. Little did any of us know
he was also crying for himself... as he was headed for the same future as them.
Chadwick Boseman passed away on the 28th of August,
2020. This real-life superhero will be missed, and his work will continue to live on. Oscar
or no Oscar, the actor gave a chilling performance that achieved Golden Globe
and Critics Choice Awards recognition. And his loving memory will continue to live on.
What do you think about the outcome? Was Boseman Snubbed? Or Did Sir Anthony deserve his award?
Let us know all your juicy thoughts in the comments below. And that's all we
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