When Warren Beatty first opened the envelope to announce the winner for the Best Picture Oscar Sunday night, he looked confused. He looked over to his co-presenter, Faye Dunaway for reassurance. “You’re impossible,” she said. “Come on.” He handed her the envelope, and Dunaway announced that La La Land was the winner. Except La La Land didn’t win. Moonlight did.
The La La Land creators were already giving their acceptance speeches when producers from the Oscars came on stage to tell them about the mixup. As the La La Land creators and stars left the stage and the bewildered but elated Moonlight winners took their place, Beatty came on stage to explain the mixup.
“I want to tell you what happened. I opened the envelope and it said Emma Stone La La Land,” he explained. Stone had just won the Best Actress nominee for the film. “That’s why I took such a long look at Faye and at you. I wasn’t trying to be funny. This is Moonlight, the Best Picture.”
