“My eyes see Oppenheimer.” That was the thrilling if profoundly unconventional way Al Pacino announced the best-picture winner to close out the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday night. While Pacino’s unique announcement style puzzled viewers, some audience members were ticked off that Pacino failed to name all 10 best-picture nominees before announcing that Oppenheimer had taken the top prize. In a statement to US Weekly, Pacino clarified that it was not his decision to forgo naming all the nominees, but rather the producers’.

“There seems to be some controversy about my not mentioning every film by name last night before announcing the best-picture award,” Pacino said to US Weekly. “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.”

All 10 best-picture nominees were highlighted at some point during the ceremony with brief but stirring montages, which was apparently supposed to eliminate the need to mention them again. And even though the ceremony actually ended early for a change, time was always a concern; as host Jimmy Kimmel cracked at the beginning of his monologue, the show was “already five minutes over” within minutes of starting. 

“I realize being nominated is a huge milestone in one’s life and to not be fully recognized is offensive and hurtful,” Pacino continued. “I saw this as someone who profoundly relates with filmmakers, actors, and producers, so I deeply empathize with those who have been slighted by this oversight and it’s why I felt it necessary to make this statement.”

Pacino was not supposed to be delivering the biggest award of the night by himself. He was meant to reunite with his Scarface costar Michelle Pfeiffer to celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary, but, according to Deadline, Pfeiffer had to opt out of the ceremony for “personal family reasons,” preventing her from traveling from New York to Los Angeles. All things considered, the 83-year-old Pacino did a bang-up job closing out the ceremony on his own and providing a moment of genuine intrigue before Oppenheimer’s inevitable best-picture win. 
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