Christina Ricci has slammed Academy officials amid a review of Andrea Riseborough's nomination for her performance in the film To Leslie.
Last week, leaders at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that they would be conducting a "review of campaign procedures" in light of the English actress's "surprise" nomination for Best Actress - though didn't refer to her by name.
In response to the news, Christina took to Instagram to criticise Academy bosses.
"Seems hilarious that the 'surprise nomination' (meaning tons of money wasn't spent to position this actress) of a legitimately brilliant performance is being met with an investigation," she wrote. "So, it's only the films and actors that can afford the campaigns that deserve recognition? Feels elitist and exclusive and, frankly, very backward to me."
The Yellowjackets actress continued, "I'm sure she had nothing to do with the campaigning. These things aren't controlled or decided by the actors themselves, and yet now, her nomination will be tainted by this. And if it's taken away, shame on them."
Andrea has received critical acclaim for her performance in To Leslie, but wasn't expected to be a frontrunner for an Oscar, leading some people to speculate whether the efforts of others had somehow violated the Academy's code of conduct.
Accordingly, members of the Board of Governors have pledged to investigate the nomination process.
"We are conducting a review of the campaign procedures around this year's nominees to 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," they said in a statement. "We have confidence in the integrity of our nomination and voting procedures and support genuine grassroots campaigns for outstanding performances."
Andrea will compete against Tár's Cate Blanchett, Blonde's Ana de Armas, The Fabelmans' Michelle Williams, and Everything Everywhere All at Once's Michelle Yeoh in the Best Actress category at the Academy Awards.
The ceremony is set to take place on 12 March.
