Oscars voters didn’t pick Ralph Fiennes to win Best Actor for a shocking reason
Voters for the Oscars confessed to a stunning cardinal error.
Two electors from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences didn’t vote for Ralph Fiennes to win Best Actor in a Leading Role for “Conclave” because they thought “he won before,” according to a report by Variety.
“Oh s–t!” one of the voters exclaimed to the outlet when they discovered their assumptions about the British actor’s accolades were wrong.
According to the publication, the two voters thought Fiennes won an Academy Award as an Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying Amon Goeth in the drama “Schindler’s List” in 1993.
But they were mistaken.
Even though Fiennes was nominated for playing the Nazi officer in charge of a concentration camp in the film, Tommy Lee Jones took home the gold that night for playing Samuel Gerard in “The Fugitive.”
“Schindler’s List” scored seven Academy Awards that night including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography.
Fiennes did win a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) for his role in the war film.
The star has a shot at winning the Oscar this year if frontrunner Adrien Brody doesn’t secure the award from his performance in “The Brutalist”.
Ironically, both voters who didn’t pick Fiennes because they thought he already had an Oscar, voted for Brody, who won for the 2002 drama “The Pianist,” the report added.
Brody has dominated the Best Actor in a Leading Role category this award season by winning a BAFTA, Critics Choice Award and Golden Globes for his role in “The Brutalist.”
“Conclave” and “Anora” appeared to be the films in the running to score Best Picture this year, according to FanDuel betting odds.
“Conclave” is reportedly stronger with older voters and members in the artisan branch while “Anora” is popular with all demographic groups especially younger people in the Actors Branch.
©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection
The plot for “Conclave” follows Cardinal Lawrence, played by Fiennes, as he leads the process of selecting a new Pope.
Fiennes made his film debut in 1992 in the movie “Wuthering Heights” and soared to mainstream success when “Schindler’s List” came out one year later.
Fiennes has been nominated for three Oscars and seven Golden Globes in his career.
The 97th Academy Awards will be held Mar. 2 in Los Angeles, Calif.
