It was one of the most awkward moments in the history of the Oscars, of television, in entertainment, heck maybe in American history.
And somehow Warren Beatty, Hollywood㽶Ƶֱs ultimate smooth leading man, was at the centre of it.
The producers of 㽶ƵֱLa La Land㽶Ƶֱ were nearly done with their acceptance speeches for Best Picture, the Oscar broadcast㽶Ƶֱs credits sequence about to roll, when a stir of whispers began on stage. Moments later 㽶ƵֱLa La Land㽶Ƶֱ producer Jordan Horowitz returned to the microphone and said 㽶ƵֱMoonlight won Best Picture㽶Ƶֱ and insisting that 㽶Ƶֱthis is not a joke.㽶Ƶֱ
The collective jaw of the crowd at the Dolby Theatre 㽶Ƶֱ and of America 㽶Ƶֱ remained dropped long after they became convinced it was no joke, but what academy historians later called an apparently unprecedented Oscar error.
Beatty returned to the mic and amid silence, explained that he had opened the envelope and he was confused when it read 㽶ƵֱEmma Stone, La La Land.㽶Ƶֱ He had shown it to co-presenter Faye Dunaway briefly, as though he wanted her to read it, which she did, apparently assuming the Emma Stone part was off but the 㽶ƵֱLa La㽶Ƶֱ part correct.
㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs one of the strangest things that㽶Ƶֱs ever happened to me,㽶Ƶֱ Beatty said backstage. 㽶ƵֱThank God there were two of us up there,㽶Ƶֱ Dunaway responded.
The actress then asked Beatty, 㽶ƵֱWho else should I tell?㽶Ƶֱ
㽶ƵֱEverybody,㽶Ƶֱ he said.
At that point, a security guard tried to take the real envelope and Beatty said, 㽶ƵֱSecurity is not getting this. I㽶Ƶֱm giving it to (Moonlight director) Barry Jenkins at a later time.㽶Ƶֱ Beatty also refused to show it to anyone else.
ABC News, tweeting about the ceremony broadcast on its network, said the envelope held by Beatty read, 㽶ƵֱActress in a leading role.㽶Ƶֱ A close-up photo of Beatty onstage verified that.
The mistake was being investigated by the academy, which had no immediate comment Sunday.
PwC, formerly known as Price Waterhouse Coopers, is the accounting firm that counts votes and provides winner envelopes for the Oscars and has done so for more than 80 years.
When the firm㽶Ƶֱs representatives realized the mistake, they raced onstage to right it, but too late, officials told The Associated Press.
The result was a bizarre scene with the entire cast of both movies standing together on stage exchanging sympathetic awkward stares and hugs.
The crowd had to rouse itself from its stunned stupor to try to give 㽶ƵֱMoonlight㽶Ƶֱ its just due for winning the big award. And as the credits rolled, usually bringing sweet relief after a long night, people appeared hesitant to leave in their disbelief.
㽶ƵֱIt made a very special feeling even more special, but not in the way I expected,㽶Ƶֱ a bemused Jenkins, co-writer and director of 㽶ƵֱMoonlight,㽶Ƶֱ said backstage.
㽶ƵֱThe folks at 㽶ƵֱLa La Land㽶Ƶֱ were so gracious,㽶Ƶֱ he added. 㽶ƵֱI can㽶Ƶֱt imagine being in their position and having to do that.㽶Ƶֱ
Filmmaker Kenneth Lonergan, who won a best screenplay award for 㽶ƵֱManchester by the Sea,㽶Ƶֱ cracked wise backstage: 㽶ƵֱIt turns out that we actually won best picture, which we㽶Ƶֱre really happy about,㽶Ƶֱ he said.
The ceremony㽶Ƶֱs chaotic scene immediately raced to the top of all-time Oscar moments, far more stunning than the nude man who raced across the stage in 1974 as part of the 㽶Ƶֱstreaking㽶Ƶֱ fad.
And it immediately evoked Steve Harvey㽶Ƶֱs recent gaffe of naming the wrong Miss Universe winner.
The Miss Universe Twitter account quickly let the Oscars know they felt their pain.
㽶ƵֱHave your people call our people, we know what to do,㽶Ƶֱ the tweet read.
That was the beginning of a Tweet pile-on that may be the biggest of all time, with many declaring that 㽶ƵֱLa La Land㽶Ƶֱ won the popular vote while 㽶ƵֱMoonlight㽶Ƶֱ won the electoral college.
But this stage, and this audience, were far, far bigger and are likely to last far, far longer in collective memory.
㽶ƵֱWe thought it was a joke㽶Ƶֱ: Canadian winner for Arrival
Montreal sound editor Sylvain Bellemare has an epic memory to accompany his Oscar win for 㽶ƵֱArrival.㽶Ƶֱ
The Canadian was still in the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night as Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway wrongly announced 㽶ƵֱLa La Land㽶Ƶֱ as best picture. Bellemare said it was 㽶Ƶֱall very embarrassing㽶Ƶֱ as producers scrambled on stage to reveal that 㽶ƵֱMoonlight㽶Ƶֱ was the true winner.
㽶ƵֱIt was astonishing for like 15, 20 seconds. I think we thought it was a joke and no, it was real,㽶Ƶֱ Bellemare said by phone from Los Angeles after the show had ended.
㽶ƵֱBut yet people were really happy I think because 㽶ƵֱMoonlight㽶Ƶֱ is a fantastic film that deserves so much,㽶Ƶֱ he added.
㽶Ƶֱ㽶ƵֱLa La Land㽶Ƶֱ is a great film, too, but it already has a lot of love and box office since it started and having 㽶ƵֱMoonlight㽶Ƶֱ triumph, it㽶Ƶֱs perfect.㽶Ƶֱ
The accounting firm PwC, which oversees the counting of the Oscar ballots, said early Monday that Beatty and Dunaway had been given the wrong envelope.
Bellemare said 㽶Ƶֱat the end, things went as they were supposed to be.
㽶ƵֱIt was a weird feeling㽶Ƶֱ. It was something awkward but those things happen and at the end, at least we got the real winner onstage.㽶Ƶֱ
Bellemare won the Oscar for best sound editor in a field that also included teams from 㽶ƵֱDeepwater Horizon,㽶Ƶֱ 㽶ƵֱHacksaw Ridge,㽶Ƶֱ 㽶ƵֱLa La Land㽶Ƶֱ and 㽶ƵֱSully.㽶Ƶֱ
㽶ƵֱI had a good handshake by Ryan Gosling when I went to the stage,㽶Ƶֱ he said, adding that his thoughts were with 㽶ƵֱArrival㽶Ƶֱ director Denis Villeneuve and everyone else who worked on the film.
㽶ƵֱThere are so many people behind this prize. It㽶Ƶֱs a collective prize and I was so proud for them and for us.㽶Ƶֱ
㽶ƵֱArrival㽶Ƶֱ stars Amy Adams as a linguistics expert who tries to communicate with aliens that have landed in 12 pods on Earth.
Jeremy Renner plays theoretical physicist Ian in the Quebec-shot film, which also stars Forest Whitaker as a military leader.