The Oscars started out with a cheerful song and dance number by everyone's favorite former boy band member, Justin Timberlake, and ended with a twist straight out of an M. Night Shyamalan movie. For those that didn't stay up late enough to see the greatest and most confusing moment in the history of the Academy Awards, veteran actors Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty were handed the wrong envelope when announcing Best Picture. As a result, the cast and team for La La Land hopped up onstage, thinking they had won the ultimate prize. But really, a perfect little $1.5 million dollar film Moonlight was the actual winner. What follower was complete and utter chaos — warranted and welcome chaos as Moonlight no doubt deserved the historic win, but chaos nonetheless.
The only way to fully appreciate the wave of perplexity that washed over the audience and those on stage is to study the pictures taken during the exact revelation that the wrong movie had been read. The expressions of the A-list attendees ranged from bewilderment, to gratitude, to just "huh?" For one long moment, the Dolby Theater gave us the most unfiltered look at our favorite actors as immortalized by photos of their hilarious facial expressions. Since this is an awards show, what better way to look at the candid reactions then to rank the calmest to the wildest reactions during the Oscar gaffe.
#6 — Jordan Horowitz, Warren Beatty and Jimmy Kimmel
I'm tempted to call this one "The Three Stooges," but I can't because Horowitz, the producer for La La Land, was impressive with his calm demeanor while handing off the Oscar for Best Picture to the real winners, Moonlight. Meanwhile, Kimmel is licking his middle finger (Is he shading the crew by subtly throwing the bird?), and Beatty is freaking out internally because he just, along with Dunaway, royally screwed up the final segment of an otherwise smooth award show.
Photo Credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images.#5 — Charlize Theron, David Oyelowo
While that was happening on-stage, the crowd was slowly starting to realize that this wasn't a shtick or a badly-formed joke. This was a real, authentic mistake in a moment that the New York Times accurately describes as bewildering. Theron literally gasped, while her neighbors just fell into blank stares. On the right side of the frame is Oyelowo, who gave side-eye in the direction of the La La Land cast.
#4 — Meryl Streep, Ben Affleck, Dwayne Johnson, Salma Hayek, Michelle Williams, Busy Philipps, Matt Damon
There's a lot to unpack here. Streep is purely stunned. Affleck is looking over at Damon, whose mouth is agape. Williams and Philipps have the exact same expression. And Johnson and Hayek look utterly distressed.
#3 — Trevante Rhodes, Mahershala Ali, Adele Romanski, Barry Jenkins
The cast of Moonlight stood at the edge of the stage while Horowitz gestured for them to come up and rightly claim their prize. Their priceless reactions reveal just how meaningful this win is to the cast.
#2 — Ryan Gosling
Gosling knew it was best to just to stand in the shadows and give his fellow nominees and winners their well-earned moment in the spotlight. That smirk is so him.
Photo Credit: Kevin Winter / Staff.
#1 — Jharrel Jerome
But the hands down best reaction was from Moonlight star Jharrel Jerome. His ecstatic outburst is the most genuine one we've seen in awhile. You can practically hear him freaking out just by looking at the photo.
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