The nominations for the 75th Academy Awards were officially announced.
Films like Chicago, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Pianist, The Hours, Gangs of New York, About Schmidt, and Far from Heaven were among the standout nominations. Coupled with the growing unease over potential global conflicts, this year's awards ceremony promised to be filled with drama.
However, none of this mattered to Anson—
Edgar was right: Anson didn't secure an Oscar nomination.
The competition for Best Actor this year was fierce.
Adrien Brody for The Pianist, Jack Nicholson for About Schmidt, Daniel Day-Lewis for Gangs of New York, Nicolas Cage for Adaptation, and Michael Caine for The Quiet American were the five actors who earned nominations.
Not only Anson but also Leonardo DiCaprio was overlooked.
After returning from the rainforest, Leonardo restructured his career. He went through several agents just to work with Martin Scorsese, even turning down Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can for Gangs of New York. Ultimately, his dream came true—
Not only did he work with Martin Scorsese, but he also got to act alongside Daniel Day-Lewis.
All of this was geared toward winning awards and breaking away from his idol image.
Yet, it ended in failure.
The Academy voters still didn't recognize Leonardo's efforts, or perhaps they refused to. The idol image that clung to him like a curse couldn't be shaken.
So, what hope did Anson have?
The result was entirely expected.
However, things were slightly different. Gangs of New York earned ten nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, yet neither Leonardo nor Cameron Diaz received any recognition. Still, the ten nominations were enough to justify a celebration for the crew.
On the other hand, Catch Me If You Can received only two nominations: Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Score. Christopher Walken, who hadn't received much recognition during awards season, surprised everyone by making it into the Best Supporting Actor category—a small but welcome surprise.
However, the crew wasn't exactly thrilled.
Here's what happened.
Not receiving nominations was expected. DreamWorks and Steven Spielberg didn't plan on spending money to campaign during such a competitive year. They always knew their chances were slim, so they decided to take it easy and just enjoy being part of the process.
Even if they had received no nominations, the Catch Me If You Can crew wouldn't have been disappointed.
If they did get nominated? That would have been a pleasant surprise.
At the Golden Globes, Anson was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, which was a great achievement. The crew was elated. Anson continued to rack up nominations throughout awards season, somehow carving out a small place for himself.
However!
When the Oscar nominations were announced, Anson's name wasn't on the list. Instead, Christopher Walken, who had received few nominations all season, made it into the final five for Best Supporting Actor.
First of all, congratulations to Christopher—he certainly deserved recognition.
Secondly, it was obvious the Academy voters had a bias against Anson. Feeling guilty, they likely awarded Christopher a nomination as compensation for snubbing Anson.
It's highly likely that this was a compensatory move.
Of course, this is just speculation; no one can say for sure. But the Catch Me If You Can crew was still left feeling a bit regretful.
Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks both stated publicly that they believed Anson deserved more recognition. Even Christopher Walken said Anson hadn't been treated fairly.
It wasn't just the crew—public opinion seemed to align as well. Many media outlets and viewers believed Anson deserved more praise.
You could see this in the film's unstoppable box office performance—Anson was winning over audiences with his on-screen charm.
But unfortunately, what's done is done.
At least for this year, Anson wouldn't be receiving his first Oscar nomination.
However.
That didn't mean Anson wouldn't attend the Oscars.
After the Academy announced the nominations, they seemed to sense the public pressure. Though not directly criticized, there was a persistent buzz surrounding Anson, proving just how hot his popularity was at the moment.
So, the Academy responded quickly—
Of course, the Academy wasn't about to issue a statement specifically for Anson. Instead, they took a smarter, more strategic approach.
They announced the lineup of presenters for the awards ceremony.
In the second batch of announced guests, Anson's name wasn't on the list.
However, rumors began to spread that Anson might attend the ceremony. If he did, would he just be a guest, or would he present an award?
The buzz around Anson slowly built.
Then, the Academy announced the third batch of guests.
Still, no mention of Anson.
The chatter and speculation exploded online.
To this, Edgar commented:
"The Academy knows how to play the game!"
This tactic of keeping people guessing had been perfected.
In fact, Edgar had already confirmed that Anson would attend the ceremony. The Academy was supposed to include his name in the third batch of guests, but they didn't. Instead, they used the speculation surrounding Anson to generate more attention, turning even the guest announcements into a hot topic.
They were squeezing every last drop of value out of Anson.
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!
Finally, after the buzz reached its peak, the Academy revealed the answer—
Anson Wood.
In the fourth batch of guest announcements, Anson's name was listed prominently.
Fans rejoiced, and many even applauded the Academy.
See, that's how you play the game.
Just a short time ago, the Academy was under fire for snubbing Anson. But now, without saying a word, they had turned the situation around and were being praised for inviting him to the ceremony.
The media celebrated the Academy's boldness, calling it a sign of progress to invite a so-called "pretty boy" like Anson to the Oscars.
Edgar: ???
Once again, the Academy's leadership showed their experience. The Oscars' authority and influence were not earned by chance—their crisis management skills were impressive.
But even the Academy, with all its experience, couldn't control everything.
Some things were simply beyond their grasp.
This time, it was Anson.
While the Academy was using Anson's popularity to generate buzz, Edgar had been working hard on Anson's next project.
Finally, it was confirmed: Anson's next film would be Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.