Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway are getting a chance to redeem themselves at the Oscars this weekend after a mishap at 2017’s ceremony led to the pair announcing the wrong winner for the night’s biggest category.
It was the fumble that launched a million memes, and it wasn’t even Beatty and Dunaway’s fault. The pair were invited to present for best picture in honor of the 50th anniversary of their Oscar-winning movie Bonnie and Clyde. Being seasoned performers, they opted not to rehearse their brief introductory lines beforehand—which might have turned out to be a mistake. Whichever backstage personnel was responsible for handing the winning best picture envelope to Beatty and Dunaway accidentally handed them the envelope for best actress, the wrong category. So when they ripped it open onstage for the big reveal, the card read “Emma Stone: La La Land.”
Beatty wasn’t sure what to make of the confusing printout and handed it to Dunaway, who assumed that La La Land must have won, and announced it as 2017’s best picture. That’s when the La La Land cast and crew took the stage, the heartfelt speeches started being tearfully delivered, and the TV stage manager rushed to the podium to notify everyone that Moonlight had actually won best picture, not them. Woops.
Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway will RETURN to present Best Picture at The Oscars after last year's mix-up https://t.co/3lSwathxWq
— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) March 2, 2018
Needless to say, it was a blunder that made the 80-year-old Beatty and 77-year-old Dunaway look more inept than anyone had ever intended, so now the pair will have a chance to restore their reputations as rock-solid presenters. According to TMZ, the duo will hand out the best picture award again Sunday night—although this time hopefully with fewer hiccups.
And what’s more: they’re practicing this time. “Warren and Faye both just showed up at the Dolby Theatre” Thursday and “rehearsed the big moment,” TMZ reports. “They were shuffled onstage together very quickly to run through their bit. They went through their lines twice. She began by saying, ‘Presenting is better the second time around,’ Beatty followed up with, ‘The winner is Gone with the Wind.'” It’s also been reported the writers are still “putting finishing touches on their lines.”
The Oscars air Sunday at 8pm ET.