Keeping with tradition, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is slowly revealing the presenters for the 89th Academy Awards. Last week. they confirmed that 2016 winners Leonardo DiCaprio, Alicia Vikander, Brie Larson and Mark Rylance will follow tradition and return to present either their own or another acting category. Today the list of presenters got more interesting.
Recent Emmy winner Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live“) will no doubt bring some laughs to the event, and she already contributed shooting a mock “how to” video for nominees that played (and killed) at the annual Oscar luncheon yesterday. Joining McKinnon are “Fifty Shades Darker” stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan (FYI, the film’s producer, Michael De Luca, is also co-producing the Oscar telecast), Academy member and recent Sundance juror Gael García Bernal, regular presenter Samuel L. Jackson, everybody’s “Captain America“ Chris Evans, nominee turned pop star Hailee Steinfeld, and former winners Halle Berry and Shirley MacLaine. Expect more presenters to be rolled out as we ramp up to the show on Feb. 26.
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In another bit of news — and potential spoiler ahead — the Academy usually keeps who is presenting Best Picture a secret. Well, one of the participants just couldn’t keep quiet about it.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg during a red-carpet event last night, Faye Dunaway dished that she and Warren Beatty would be presenting Oscar’s top prize, doing so to coincide with the 50th anniversary of “Bonnie And Clyde.” Granted, Dunaway may have been confused and is presenting for another category and/or there are more presenters for the final Oscar than just that pair. Whatever the case, the producers are no doubt learning that it’s hard for Ms. Dunaway to keep a secret.
The 89th Academy Awards will be handed out on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 5 PM PT/8 PM ET on ABC.
