Yahoo News Academy Will Not Rescind Andrea Riseborough's Oscar Nomination But Notes 'Tactics That Caused Concern'
Everett Andrea Riseborough in To Leslie (2022)
Andrea Riseborough's Oscar nomination will not be rescinded by the Academy, it was revealed Tuesday.
Days after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that a review was being conducted to determine the awards' rules for online campaigning, it announced on Tuesday that the British actress will keep her Best Actress nomination for To Leslie following a grassroots social media campaign from fellow actors.
"Based on concerns that surfaced last week around the To Leslie awards campaign, the Academy began a review into the film's campaigning tactics. The Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film's nomination should be rescinded," Academy CEO Bill Kramer said in a statement. "However, we did discover social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern. These tactics are being addressed with the responsible parties directly.
"The purpose of the Academy's campaign regulations is to ensure a fair and ethical awards process—these are core values of the Academy. Given this review, it is apparent that components of the regulations must be clarified to help create a better framework for respectful, inclusive, and unbiased campaigning. These changes will be made after this awards cycle and will be shared with our membership. The Academy strives to create an environment where votes are based solely on the artistic and technical merits of the eligible films and achievements."
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Samir Hussein/WireImage Andrea Riseborough
The To Leslie star, 41, is nominated at the upcoming 95th ceremony alongside Cate Blanchett (Tár), Ana de Armas (Blonde), Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans) and Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once). Many considered Till's Danielle Deadwyler and The Woman King's Viola Davis to have been notable snubs from the category. Both scored BAFTA Award nominations in the same category days prior, though Oscar nominations are not always mirrored.
For more on this story, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
Prior to the announcement, most Oscars experts hadn't listed the actress as a frontrunner for a nomination (though she earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination), but a last-minute campaign from celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet and Edward Norton boosted her during the voting period.
On Jan. 27, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in a statement that it will review its policies about campaigning and see if updates need to be made in the modern social media age.
"It is the Academy's goal to ensure that the Awards competition is conducted in a fair and ethical manner, and we are committed to ensuring an inclusive awards process," it said in a statement. "We are conducting a review of the campaign procedures around this year's nominees, to ensure that no guidelines were violated and to inform us whether changes to the guidelines may be needed in a new era of social media and digital communication."
The Academy added, however, "We have confidence in the integrity of our nomination and voting procedures, and support genuine grassroots campaigns for outstanding performances."
RELATED VIDEO: Oscars 2023 Nominations: Brendan Fraser, Austin Butler and Ana de Armas Among Nominees
Fellow celebrities like Christina Ricci and Riseborough's To Leslie costar Marc Maron spoke out on her behalf after the Academy announced their investigation.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Ricci, 42, said, "Seems hilarious that the 'surprise nomination' (meaning tons of money wasn't spent to position this actress) of a legitimately brilliant performance is being met with an investigation."
Continued the Yellowjackets actress, "So it's only the films and actors that can afford the campaigns that deserve recognition? Feels elitist and exclusive and frankly very backward to me."
"Apparently, the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences or whatever the f--- it is has decided to investigate Andrea Riseborough's grassroots campaign to get her the Oscar nomination," said Maron, 59, said on the Jan. 30 episode of his WTF podcast. "Because I guess it so threatens their system to where they're completely bought out by corporate interests in the form of studios."
Of the campaign, Maron added later that he believes Riseborough's nomination "is not undeserving." He added, "But I'm glad the Academy — at the behest of special interest and corporate interest and just paranoia about how they look — are doing an investigation. Who gives a f---!"
