Nothing 鈥� not Tom Cruise鈥檚 snub nor 鈥� has caused quite as much a stir around as the best-actress nomination for British actress Andrea Riseborough.

for her performance as an alcoholic Texas single mother in the scantly seen indie drama 鈥淭o Leslie,鈥� a pick that shocked Oscar pundits and has since brought scrutiny from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. For a movie that has grossed $27,322 at the box office, 鈥淭o Leslie鈥� and Riseborough have made a lot of noise.

At issue is the way Riseborough鈥檚 candidacy was promoted. Though many awards contenders are backed by orchestrated campaigns paid for by their film鈥檚 studio, Riseborough rose into the Oscar ranks thanks largely to the grassroots efforts of 鈥淭o Leslie鈥� director Michael Morris and his wife, actor Mary McCormack. They urged stars to see the film and either host a screening or praise Riseborough鈥檚 performance on social media. And a whole lot of them did.

So what鈥檚 the big deal? Cronyism in Hollywood isn鈥檛 exactly news; it鈥檚 more or less the modus operandi. But Riseborough鈥檚 nomination 鈥� and the strong response it鈥檚 engendered 鈥� has disrupted this year鈥檚 Oscar season, with potential repercussions for the Academy Awards in March and the bids of all future Oscar hopefuls.

WHO IS ANDREA RISEBOROUGH?

For about 15 years, the 41-year-old Riseborough has been a regular presence in film, television and London theater, but she鈥檚 sometimes hard to register because of her chameleonic performances. She appeared in Mike Leigh鈥檚 鈥淗appy-Go-Lucky鈥� (2008). She made an impression as Riggan鈥檚 girlfriend in 鈥淏irdman鈥� (2014). She played Stalin鈥檚 daughter in 鈥淭he Death of Stalin鈥� (2017). In 鈥淢andy鈥� (2018), alongside Nicolas Cage, she played his character鈥檚 kidnapped girlfriend. Riseborough had several other notable credits in 2022, including David O. Russell鈥檚 鈥淎msterdam鈥� and as Mrs. Wormwood in 鈥淢atilda the Musical.鈥� She鈥檚 been doing acclaimed work in adventurous independent film for long enough that an Oscar vote for her may have also been partly for her unassuming body of work.

HOW UNEXPECTED WAS RISEBOROUGH鈥橲 NOMINATION?

Almost no one expected Riseborough鈥檚 late-breaking campaign to actually land her a nomination. It wasn鈥檛 totally out of left field, though. Riseborough鈥檚 performance in 鈥淭o Leslie鈥� . But she wasn鈥檛 expected to be in the mix in what was generally considered the hardest category to break into this year. Riseborough was nominated along with Cate Blachett (鈥淭谩r鈥�), Michelle Williams (鈥淭he Fabelmans鈥�), Ana de Armas (鈥淏londe鈥�) and Michelle Yeoh (鈥淓verything Everywhere All at Once鈥�).

鈥淚鈥檓 astounded,鈥� shortly after the nominations were announced. 鈥淚t was so hard to believe it might ever happen because we really hadn鈥檛 been in the running for anything else. Even though we had a lot of support, the idea it might actually happen seemed so far away.鈥�

Two highly regarded performances were left out: and That the category鈥檚 most glaring snubs were both Black women has been a point of discussion. 鈥淭ill鈥� director Chinonye Chukwu, in a post on Instagram, suggested the system had failed. 鈥淲e live in a world and work in industries that are so aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards Black women.鈥�

WHAT MADE RISEBOROUGH鈥橲 CAMPAIGN DIFFERENT?

Most every acting nominee participates in some kind of Oscar campaign to help highlight their performance and get voters to watch their film. It鈥檚 a game that鈥檚 played. The playwright and screenwriter Jeremy O. Harris noted on Twitter: 鈥淒o people not realize that what the actresses did for Andrea Riseborough happens in private every night for months starting in October for every movie/performance (with) a chance.鈥�

There are rules that limit the kinds of events that are held and even how much someone can email promotions to academy members during the voting period. Most campaigns have veteran strategists behind them and a substantial amount of money. Those pushing Riseborough, though, managed to draw attention to her without such backing. Instead, they counted on A-listers to spread the word.

Kate Winslet, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Adams and Courteney Cox all hosted screenings for the film. 鈥淵ou should be winning everything,鈥� Other stars like Edward Norton, Susan Sarandon, Mira Sorvino and Rosie O鈥橠onnell added their praise for her on social media.

Those who supported Riseborough saw in the campaign 鈥� no billboards on Sunset, no 鈥淔or Your Consideration鈥� ads, just a deep Rolodex 鈥� a groundbreaking way to circumvent traditional Oscar rituals. In a since-deleted post, actress Christina Ricci wrote of the backlash to Riseborough鈥檚 nomination: 鈥淪o it鈥檚 only the films and actors that can afford the campaigns that deserve recognition? Feels elitist and exclusive and frankly very backward to me.鈥�

DID THAT BREAK ANY RULES?

There is no public evidence that Riseborough or anyone on her behalf clearly broke academy regulations. The screenings and endorsements that propelled Riseborough are commonplace. Some have speculated that Riseborough may have received a boost because of the strong passion of her supporters, who might have made her their top nominee.

But if the academy found that anyone violated the rules about contacting academy members 鈥渄irectly and in a manner outside of the scope of these rules,鈥� the academy鈥檚 board of governors 鈥渕ay take any corrective actions or assess any penalties, including disqualification,鈥� according to academy bylaws. 鈥淔urthermore, any academy member who has authorized, executed or otherwise enabled a campaign activity that is determined by the board of governors to have undermined the letter or spirit of these regulations may be subject to suspension of membership or expulsion from the academy.鈥�

Oscar nominations have rarely been rescinded but it has happened. In 2014, composer Bruce Broughton, nominated for best original song, . At the time, Broughton, a former governor for the academy, was a member of the music branch鈥檚 executive committee.

HOW HAS THE ACADEMY RESPONDED?

The academy has not commented on Riseborough鈥檚 nomination. But on Friday, it announced that it will conduct a review of the campaign procedures arounds this year鈥檚 nominees 鈥渢o ensure that no guidelines were violated, and to inform us whether changes to the guidelines may be needed in a new era of social media and digital communication.鈥�

鈥淲e have confidence in the integrity of our nomination and voting procedures, and support genuine grassroots campaigns for outstanding performances,鈥� the academy added.

鈥擩ake Coyle, The Associated Press