--- title: Oscars 2017: Celebrity Reaction Photo to Best Picture Mix-up description: See how Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, The Rock, and Salma Hayek reacted to that Oscars Best Picture mistake. canonical: https://time.com/4683925/oscars-2017-celebrity-reaction-photo/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-02-27T16:45:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T07:18:28.763Z og:title: See the Looks on Celebrities' Faces At the Exact Moment of the Oscars Mix-Up og:description: Matt Damon was absolutely shook og:url: https://time.com/4683925/oscars-2017-celebrity-reaction-photo/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt531c654ed33c20ed/6988bc208e06017b574695c4/celeb-reactions.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1490 og:image:height: 838 og:image:alt: celeb-reactions og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: See the Looks on Celebrities' Faces At the Exact Moment of the Oscars Mix-Up twitter:description: Matt Damon was absolutely shook twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt531c654ed33c20ed/6988bc208e06017b574695c4/celeb-reactions.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See the Looks on Celebrities' Faces at the Exact Moment of the Oscars Mix-Up > Sponsored content. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=c6dae581-dde1-4306-8a07-0ecd8113c77a&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: La La Land Thought They Won Best Picture. They Didn't. [Watch (HLS stream): La La Land Thought They Won Best Picture. They Didn't.](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/B1ZPuS5Y.m3u8) (0:45)  _Published 2017-02-27. Moonlight was, in fact, Best Picture_ by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Feb 27, 2017 4:45 PM UTC by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Feb 27, 2017 4:45 PM UTC The [2017 Oscars](http://time.com/4680083/oscars-2017-winners-list/) took a turn when everyone learned that _Moonlight_ actually [won Best Picture](http://time.com/4683534/oscars-2017-la-la-land-stars-reactions/), not _La La Land_ as originally announced. The [cinematic twist](http://time.com/4683539/oscars-best-picture-moonlight-la-la-land-beatty/) during the ceremony’s final moment stunned millions, but most importantly, the famous people had feelings. So at the precise moment when all eyes were on the stage for the awkward transition, the [_LA Times_](http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-oscars-2017-89th-academy-awards-watch-the-moment-when-la-la-land-is-1488188051-htmlstory.html) captured a who’s who of reactions. There’s something for everyone in this historic photograph because the expressions ran the gamut from bewildered to wincing and far beyond. Ever the expressive dramatist, David Oyelowo looked like he might have been in disbelief. The Rock looked as if the apocalypse happened. Matt Damon’s eyebrows wordlessly communicated everything you can’t. His pal, Ben Affleck looked to his right, not knowing what to do while Salma Hayek appeared to cringe and freeze. Oscars veteran Meryl Streep prepared to go in [full crisis mode](https://twitter.com/magicrobins/status/836093587720921088?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc^tfw). But there’s no debating that Busy Phillips and Michelle Williams had the best looks on their faces. Mouths agape, the standard awards show companions were very much stunned. 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