, suggesting the Academy is only reviewing the grassroots campaign because it “threatens their system to where they’re completely bought out by corporate interests in the form of studios.”
The comedian said that while most campaigns are pushed by advertising, publicity, and large screenings, Riseborough was championed by a few actors who spread the word about her performance. “The Academy is [like], ‘Well, we gotta take a look at this. This is not the way it’s supposed to work. Independent artists don’t deserve the attention of the Academy unless we see how it works exactly. So we’re gonna look into this,’” Maron said. “But I’m glad the Academy — at the behest of special interest and corporate interest and paranoia about how they look — are doing an investigation.
Writer-director Paul Schrader, known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese on Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and other movies, shared a photo of Riseborough on Facebook and said he plans on writing her name down on his Oscars ballot.