Oscars 2021: Harrison Ford, Halle Berry and Rita Moreno Among First Batch of Presenters
The Oscars are fully committing to the idea that this year’s ceremony will be like a “movie” — not an awards show — and have now announced its “ensemble cast” of stars to present the night’s prizes.
This year’s ceremony is “starring,” in alphabetical order, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Bong Joon Ho, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Laura Dern, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Rita Moreno, Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Renée Zellweger and Zendaya.
Names like Ford, King, Matlin, Moreno, Witherspoon and Cranston are mixed in with the tradition of inviting back the previous year’s winners, which include Bong, Dern, Phoenix, Pitt and Zellweger. Additional talent to join the “cast” will be announced later.
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“In keeping with our awards-show-as-a-movie approach, we’ve assembled a truly stellar cast of stars,” Oscars producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh said in a statement. “There’s so much wattage here, sunglasses may be required.”
The 2021 Oscars have kept consistent with using the phrasing of a “cast” rather than presenters, and the word “host” notably hasn’t entered into the equation at all. The show also released a new teaser for the ceremony, which you can watch above.
“In a world filled with awards shows, what if an awards show was actually a movie? Which stars would you cast?” the promo asks, before touting its new star-studded lineup.
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Nominees and guests for this year’s Oscars can qualify for an essential workers waiver and will need to quarantine before arriving “on set.” The expectation is that the show will be in-person with as little Zoom participation as possible, with the show aiming to have a cinematic look throughout.
The 93rd Academy Awards air live on ABC on Sunday, April 25, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The awards-show-as-a-movie will take place at Union Station in Los Angeles and the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, as well as in international locations live via satellite.
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