Al Pacino opens up on why he did not name all nominees for Best Picture Oscar

Hollywood legend Al Pacino's announcement of the Best Picture Oscar brought about some confusion due to the unceremonious way in which he did it. Going against the conventional "And the Oscar goes to," Pacino cut right to the chase by opening the envelope with the name of the winner and saying, "And my eyes see Oppenheimer." Only mild claps followed the announcement initially, as the audience wondered whether Pacino made a mistake, but it eventually paved way to rapturous applause as the actor looked at the envelope again and confirmed Oppenheimer as Best Picture. There has been much debate about the moment, with some criticising Pacino's presentation while questioning whether he intentionally skipped the nominees. However, the actor clarified it in a statement the other day.

“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. I was honored to be a part of the evening and chose to follow the way they wished for this award to be presented (sic),” said Pacino.

The actor won a Best Actor Oscar in 1993 for his blind-man character in Martin Brest's Scent of a Woman.