Here's Why There's No Host at the 2021 Oscars Ceremony
The Oscars are upon us, and this year’s event will be unlike any other. The 93rd Academy Awards is once again recognizing films that have moved viewers with compelling storylines and beautiful cinematography. Minari, Nomadland, Sound of Metal and Promising Young Woman are among the movies in the running for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress.
While the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will hand out statuettes to winners on Sunday, fans should not expect to see a host leading this year's ceremony. Instead, fellow celebrities will present awards at the Dolby Theatre, Union Station in Los Angeles, and various international locations.
So why is there no host at the Oscars this year?
Speaking with Vanity Fair, the producers behind the 2021 Oscars explained their reasoning behind the decision to go without a host. According to producer Steve Soderbergh, the coronavirus pandemic has given the award show a chance to be more experimental in its presentation. “There’s an opportunity here to rebuild what this show should look and feel like,” he told the magazine.
An aspect that the producers wanted to bring back was a sense of unity and camaraderie among movie creators, who’ve had to reimagine what it’s like sharing a narrative on the big screen during the ongoing pandemic.
“Community is a really important theme: what we’ve lost in this time and what we’ve found in the importance of storytelling,” producer Stacey Sher said to the outlet. “The Oscars are different than every other award show. We are cinema romantics. We hope this is a love letter to people who make films.”
Steve emphasized that their goal for this year’s Oscars was to make the event feel more like a movie and less like a typical award show. He later elaborated to Deadline that viewers can expect to see movie-like shots.
"Everybody will be a character: Every nominee, every person that gives an award, will feel like characters in a film," Steve told VF.
He continued: "In the end, you’ll know who everybody was and what they wanted. You’ll have a connection to everyone in this show. What we want to do is have this three-hour movie in which some awards are given out.”
Sunday's ceremony will mark the third time the Oscars have been conducted without a host. In 2018, late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was the last person to be given the honor.
Over recent years, the Oscars ceremony has seen a dip in viewership. In 2020, about 24 million people tuned in, a loss of about 6 million from the year prior. That said, perhaps a fresh approach to the iconic ceremony will renew interest in the Oscars once again. Regardless, we can’t wait to see which stars take home a gold statuette.
You Might Also Like