Canceled award and expulsions: remember the Oscar punishments

Last Friday (08) it was announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Hollywood that the actor Will Smith is banned from participating in any event involving the entity for 10 years, due to slap he gave Chris Rock, after even making a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. Although rare, the actor was not the first to suffer Oscar punishments.

Will Smith banned from the Oscars was a tough move, but it continues with his award received in this year's edition for his performance in “King Richard: Raising Champions”, and can still compete for other statuettes in the future. Now, he can no longer vote for the Oscars, as well as being banned from setting foot in any Academy-related event for 10 years.

Although rare, more severe measures, such as expulsions and suspension of awards, are not new. In addition to the actor, other names such as Harvey Weinstein, Roman Polanski e Bill Cosby also accepted the decision. Remember other cases below.

Harvey Weinstein 

Considered one of the most powerful names in Hollywood, the producer Harvey Weinstein was expelled from the Academy in 2017. He was found guilty by the courts of committing the crimes of sexual abuse and rape and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. The case came to light after an investigative report by The New York Times, which picked up accusations that had existed for nearly three decades from several women.

He denies the charges but is currently facing a 23-year prison sentence. Among the more than 300 titles he has produced, some of the best known are “Pulp Fiction“, by Quentin Tarantino, “New York Gangs“, by Martin Scorsese and “the english patient“, by Anthony Minghella. He won an Oscar, as a producer, for “Shakespeare in Love".

Bill Cosby

Another sexual predator who was kicked out of the Academy was Bill Cosby, the famous comedian was found guilty of drugging and sexually abusing Andrea Constand, a former Temple University administrator, at her Philadelphia home in 2004.

The measure against him took a little longer. He was only removed from the organization a month after he was found guilty in a sexual abuse trial. The comedian served more than two years of his sentence, but his conviction was overturned in 2021 by the Supreme Court of the US state of Pennsylvania.

Roman Polanski

Speaking of delay, who waited a long time to be punished by the Academy was the filmmaker Roman Polanski. The director was found guilty of the rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1978 in the United States, but fled the country. Even so, he was only expelled along with Cosby, 40 years later. Polanski is known for directing classics such as “Rosemary's Baby”, by 1968, and “Chinatown”Of 1974.

Despite the conviction, Polanski was nominated for three Oscars after the trial and won one of them, as best director for a film. "The pianist", in 2003. He currently lives in France, as if he returns to the United States, he risks being arrested. In 2019, the director filed a lawsuit against the Academy demanding to be readmitted to the organization.

Carmine Caridi

Carmine Caridi, from "The Godfather 2″, was the first actor to be expelled from the Academy's membership in 2004. The actor was the subject of an FBI investigation that found that he intended for piracy copies of films that he received free as a member of the Academy, for evaluation for the Oscars. Among the films targeted for copyright infringement are “Big Fish and Its Wonderful Stories” and “The Last Samurai”.

Adam Kimmel

The most recent case was that of the director of photography Adam Kimmel, known for his work on “Coat” and "The Ideal Girl”. He was expelled in 2021 after his record as a registered sex offender was reported by the magazine. Variety.

In the report, the publication says that Kimmel had already been arrested twice. In the first, in 2004, for having sex with a 15-year-old girl. He was 43. On Monday, in 2010, he was found guilty of failing to record his sex offender history in the state of Connecticut.

Young americans

A rare case in the history of the Oscars, the directors of the documentary “Young Americans” Alex Grasshoff and Robert Cohn had to return the figurine they received in 1969.

The film, which chronicles the trajectory of the musical group Young Americans on a summer tour of the United States, had the award revoked because it was released in 1967 and, therefore, could not be nominated in 1969. So far, this is the only case of return. of the statuette in the history of the Oscars. In this case, the statuette went to the second place, called “Journey into self”.

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