But HOW did Andrea Riseborough get that Oscar nom?
How Andrea Riseborough Got That Surprise Oscar Nomination for ‘To Leslie’ https://t.co/5Lsy2DkACy
- Variety (@Variety) January 24, 2023
There's some truth to what everyone thought, but it was a specific targeted PR strategy, nothing near organic word of mouth.
After Riseborough got a Spirit award nomination, actress Mary McCormack (Private Parts), who just happens to be the wife of 'To Leslie' director Michael Morris - paid powerhouse PR firms Shelter PR and Narrative PR to help send the following email to fellow actors (that included photos, suggested social posts and hashtags - she legit sent out a social media kit):
“If you’re willing to post every day between now and Jan 17th [the last day of Oscar nomination voting], that would be amazing! But anything is helpful, so please do whatever makes you comfortable. And what’s more comfortable than posting about a movie every day!”
So for those of you wondering why so many celebs copy/pasted the SAME EXACT social media post, that's why. It was specifically sent to them by McCormack and these PR firms targeting actors/Academy acting voting members to post in that exact time frame. There's no mention whatsoever of anyone actually WATCHING the movie and going on actual merit (though a bunch of screenings were hosted in the midst of Oscar voting by Kate Winslet, Amy Adams, Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Courteney Cox and Edward Norton).
Source: https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1617937670549958657