Whilst reading an article yesterday on cnn.com about Peter O’Toole (who is refusing a “Lifetime Achievement” Oscar (how to you make the little TM thing?), I ran across this:
AMPAS execs and Oscarcast producer Gil Cates will discuss what to do in the event
O’Toole does not show up. This is uncharted territory: In the past, winning actors
such as Marlon Brando and George C. Scott have refused the Oscar, but no honorary winner has ever declined the prize.
I’ve looked an’ looked but can’t find out when or why. Anybody know what gives?
Actually, it was Maria Cruz who “accepted/refused” the award on Brando’s behalf. She pretended to be a Native American woman by the name of Sacheen Littlefeather.
O’Toole’s said, basically, “I’m not dead yet!” From his statement it was clear to me that he thought this meant the Academy was writing him off as a legitimate threat to win an Oscar on his own, and he didn’t want to be part of that.
The Academy said the honorary award means no such thing, it’s just a recognition of his body of work.
Basically O’Toole feels that at 70, he is too young for a “Lifetime Achievement” award. He asked that they wait until he is 80, so he has more time to win a competitive reward.
It’s a little silly, because there’s nothing to stop him from winning a competitive award later and he certainly wouldn’t be the youngest to win Lifetime Achievement.
Perhaps someone could point out to O’Toole that Paul Newman reeived a Lifetime Achievement award the year before he won a competitive Oscar for “The Color of Money.”