Al Pacino says his brief best picture Oscar presentation was ‘a choice by the producers’

There was no envelope mix up at the Oscars on Sunday, but there was some confusion in the audience when Al Pacino announced “Oppenheimer” had won best picture.

There was no envelope mix up at the Oscars on Sunday, but there was some confusion in the audience when Al Pacino announced “Oppenheimer” had won best picture. The “Godfather” star revealed the winner of the night’s top prize by saying, “Ten wonderful films were nominated, but only one will take the award for best picture. I have to go to the envelope for that, and I will. Here it comes. And my eyes see ‘Oppenheimer.’ Yes. Yes.” Pacino’s quick and casual announcement seemed to give some in the Dolby Theatre pause before the audience began to applaud and the orchestra started playing as the cast and crew of “Oppenheimer” made their way to the stage. In a statement issued Monday through a representative about the somewhat confounding moment, Pacino said his presentation was a reflection of the instructions given to him by the telecast’s producers. “There seems to be some controversy about my not mentioning every film by name last night before announcing the best picture award. I just want to be clear it was not my intention to omit them, rather a choice by the producers not to have them said again since they were highlighted individually throughout the ceremony,” he said in a statement. “I was honored to be a part of the evening and chose to follow the way they wished for this award to be presented.” Indeed, in an effort keep the show from running over at the end of the night, clips from several of the best picture nominees ran throughout the Oscars broadcast. (The show ended up finishing early.)