No Laura Dern Isn't The New Academy President, Cinematographer John Bailey Is

In an unforeseen development, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors voted John Bailey as the new President of the organization Tuesday night. Bailey, who has been the head of the Cinematography branch of the Academy for the past 14 years and was a one-time Vice President, succeeds Cheryl Boone Isaacs who served the maximum consecutive four-year term.

Many believed the frontrunner for the position was Laura Dern who has close ties to Academy CEO Dawn Hudson, an employee of the Academy who serves in a contractual position. Dern’s acting career has been on the upswing recently (she’s an Emmy nominee for her role on “Big Little Lies”) and the Board must have thought the arrival of a press release announcing her participation in a new Ed Zwick film just hours before the vote meant she truly didn’t have the time for what has become a full-time, non-paid job. Deadline reports there were rumors Dern was interested in a co-president position with another candidate, Academy Secretary and casting director David Rubin. The 54-member board, which has a significant number of new members, instead went with Bailey who at 74-years-old is one of the oldest presidents in recent memory.

Bailey’s credits include “How To Be A Latin Lover,” “Burn Your Maps” and “A Walk in the Woods.” He’s best known for “American Gigolo,” “Ordinary People,” “Groundhog Day” and “As Good As It Gets.” He’s never earned an Oscar nomination but was awarded the ASC’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.

What this means for the Academy is unclear. Dern was a strong proponent and fundraiser for the Academy Museum which has a huge endowment and, as expected, has cost more than originally estimated. She was also expected to continue to push the Academy to diversify its membership which became a priority for Hudson and Isaacs over the past three years (perhaps one of the few things they agreed on during that span). As a former PR and marketing executive Isaacs was also able to be the face for the Academy during some difficult crisis including the #OscarsSoWhite backlash of 2016, the “Moonlight” Best Picture envelope mistake and a number of controversial nominations. She also saw the Academy move in a slightly more political direction as she spoke of the need for the body to stand for artistic freedom around the world at the Oscar luncheon this past February. Bailey is pretty much an unknown player in these areas of interest, but is – at the least – expected to be a champion of the below-the-line branches. The Academy has often struggled with a clash between the more public facing directing, acting and writing branches and those truly behind-the-scenes artists such as costumers, editors and, obviously, cinematographers.

The official announcement of Bailey’s win did not include any quotes so his first public comments will be looked at by the industry and the general Academy membership (who don’t get to vote on their president) with great scrutiny.

The Academy also announced the election or re-election of the following Board positions:

Lois Burwell, First Vice President (chair, Awards and Events Committee)
Kathleen Kennedy, Vice President (chair, Museum Committee)
Michael Tronick, Vice President (chair, Preservation and History Committee)
Nancy Utley, Vice President (chair, Education and Outreach Committee)
Jim Gianopulos, Treasurer (chair, Finance Committee)
David Rubin, Secretary (chair, Membership and Administration Committee)

It’s worth noting the inclusion of Kennedy (Lucasfilm/Disney), Utley (Fox Searchlight/21st Century Fox) and Jim Gianapulos (Paramount/Viacom) mean three of Hollywood’s major studios are in prominent positions on the board.  While the board is now 50/50 male/female Isaacs departure means there is no longer any minority representation among the officers of the Academy’s most powerful voting body.  Minority members of the 54-member group include Whoopi Goldberg, Daryn Okada, Sharen K. Davis, Kimberly Pierce, Wynn P. Thomas, Roger Ross Williams, Gregory Nava, Reginald Hudlin and Jennifer Yuh Nelson.