Despite being the utmost honor one can receive in showbiz, the Oscars have experienced its fair share of controversies over the years, and not every A-lister looks fondly at the Academy. This involves Marvel star James McAvoy, who opened up about his reasons for not campaigning for the Oscars. But before him, Tom Hardy too once expressed his indifference to the Academy Awards back in 2016.
Over the years, the Venom star has cemented himself as one of the modern-day greats by delivering a plethora of jaw-dropping performances in several critically acclaimed projects. However, despite once coming pretty close to earning an Academy accolade under his belt, the actor wasn’t keen on pleasing the Academy and refused to partake in any campaigning.
Tom Hardy once refused to campaign for the Oscars
Campaigning is one of the important aspects to make or break at the Oscars and in a year like 2016, where the competition was at the utmost, there was no room for mistakes. And being one of the prime contenders to take the Best Picture accolade home, The Revenant witnessed a staggering 12 nominations, including an Oscar for Best Actor, which Leonardo DiCaprio took home. But apart from DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, who played John Fitzgerald in the film also earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
But unlike his fierce competitors that year, Hardy refused to campaign for the accolade, as he showcased no interest in taking the Oscars home. He also joked about the matter by stating,
“Lock me out of that for your own good. It’s like putting a wig on a dog, or a tutu on a crocodile. It doesn’t look right, it’s not fair to the animal, and inevitably someone will get bitten and hurt.”
As a result, the Venom star went on to lose the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor to Mark Rylance in 2016, but it’s reasonable to assume this loss didn’t have a lasting impact on the British icon.
Campaigning for the Oscars made James McAvoy feel cheap
Like Tom Hardy, James McAvoy shares a similar sentiment regarding the Oscars, as he expressed why he refuses to campaign for the prestigious award. Back in 2006, the actor took part in the campaigning process for his The Last King of Scotland costar Forrest Whitaker’s shot at the Best Actor accolade. Reflecting on that experience, the actor explained it made him feel cheap and in the year that followed, he decided to not indulge himself in campaigning for the Oscar race for his 2007’s Atonement. He said,
“[With the Last King of Scotland campaign], it was made clear to me that I was doing it for the benefit of other people. And I was totally down with that. But by the time Atonement came along, I was 26 or 27, and I was just like, ‘I can’t do it, I’m not doing it, I don’t wanna do it.’ I didn’t want to play that part. I’ll push the film, I’ll try and get bums on seats. But the campaign, I felt… I felt cheap.”
Despite having no interest in getting Oscar recognition, Tom Hardy and James McAvoy have kept on entertaining the fans through their sheer hard work and skills over the years.
The Revenant is available to stream on Apple TV.
Source: Vanity Fair
