Nancy Ostertag/Getty Images
Mira Sorvino expressed her disappointment with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Twitter after her father Paul Sorvino was dropped from Sunday’s In Memoriam segment during the Oscars telecast.
“It is disconcerting beyond belief that my beloved father and many other brilliant and incredible actors who have passed away have been left behind,” she wrote Monday. “The Oscars forgot about Paul Sorvino, but the rest of us never will!!”
The actress updated a previous Instagram post made before the awards show, where she said she would be thinking of her father, who died aged 83 of natural causes last July, during the Sunday telecast.
“Incredibly hurt and shocked that my father’s huge irreplaceable contribution to the world of cinema has been ignored by whoever made this list,” she added. “We, his beloved family, and you, his beloved audience, know how unique and amazing he was. We hope @theacademy does something to fix this.
Sorvino’s wife, Dee Dee, also called on the Academy to apologize for excluding Sorvino from the show’s memorial.
“Paul Sorvino was one of the greatest actors in Hollywood movie history. It is unconscionable that he should be excluded from the In Memoriam segment of the Oscars,” Dee Dee said in a statement Monday. three hour show, can’t they give a few more minutes to get it right?Paul Sorvino gave decades to this industry and was loved by all.
Several other notable names such as Anne Heche, Leslie Jordan and Charlbi Dean, the star of Best Picture nominee Triangle of Sadness, have been dropped from the In Memoriam show. Tributes to them were instead made available online via a QR code displayed on screen.
“Paul was not the only deserving soul left behind, and a QR code is not acceptable. The Academy needs to apologize, admit the mistake, and do better,” Dee Dee added in her statement. Paul Sorvino deserves better, the public deserves better Is the Academy so jaded that it forgets people who are loved, who gave their hearts to this industry?
Amid the backlash, the Academy released a statement saying it had received “hundreds of requests” to include people in the segment.
“An executive committee representing each branch reviews the slate and makes selections for the broadcast based on the limited time available,” the statement said. “All submissions are included on A frame and will remain on the site throughout the year.