The 2025 Oscars are fast approaching, and though the award ceremony is exciting, it also comes with some uncomfortable controversies that put the nominees in a not-so-stellar spotlight. This year, a number of fantastic movies are being acknowledged for their excellent work in acting, writing, and directing. For the biggest prize of all, Best Picture, there are ten nominees in total. From The Substance and Anora to The Brutalist and Nickel Boys, each movie is completely unique and brings their own special strengths. Unfortunately, they showcase some undeniable weaknesses as well.

At the moment, there are a few major Oscars controversies that have somewhat sullied the reputations of certain Oscar nominees. These public scandals have blown up on social media, and caused many audiences to form new opinions on the movies. Of course, each individual must come to their own conclusions about the truth of these claims, and whether that affects their feelings about the movies. But regardless, the following controversies have played a big role in the upcoming Oscars ceremony, and many audiences may want to be in the know before watching the films.

4

Anora’s Lack Of An Intimacy Coordinator

What Others Have Said About Anora’s Intimacy Issue

One of the earliest Oscar 2025 controversies that sparked heated online debate was Mikey Madison’s revelation that there was no intimacy coordinator on the set of Anora. For context, Anora tells the story of a stripper who agrees to become exclusive with her wealthy Russian client, only to discover that he is at the center of a dangerous mob scene. Considering the premise, there were several Sєx scenes within the film. Yet, in an Actors on Actors interview with Pamela Anderson, Madison revealed that she declined an intimacy coordinator, citing that she felt comfortable tackling the scenes on her own.

This December interview caused quite a bit of discussion among internet users, who felt that, regardless of Madison’s feelings, an intimacy coordinator should always be on-set. Intimacy coordinators are a relatively new addition to film sets, but they are generally thought to add a level of safety and comfort for actors. Despite the backlash, Madison noted that Anora’s Sєx scenes were “a very positive experience” for her. Furthermore, director Sean Baker emphasized that he is very comfortable directing more intimate scenes, (Variety.)

3

The Brutalist’s Use Of AI

The Larger AI Debate Explained

In January 2025, a new scandal came on the scene when The Brutalist’s editor, Dávid Jancsó, admitted that he had used AI for parts of the film. The Brutalist is a three-and-a-half hour long epic centering on Adrien Brody as a Hungarian immigrant who flees postwar Europe to pursue his dream of being an architect in America. According to Jancsó, he used AI while editing The Brutalist so that Brody and his co-star, Felicity Jones’, Hungarian dialogue would sound more authentic. Jancsó is a native Hungarian speaker, and used his own voice and AI to perfect the movie’s speech patterns.

As many audiences know by now, the use of AI in the movie industry is highly controversial. Many feel that using AI in any capacity while making a movie is disingenuous, and worse, takes away jobs from true artists. It is a popular opinion that creative fields like cinema should prioritize real human work over AI. Yet, Jancsó makes a persuasive point in an interview with Red Shark News when he says, “we had so much dialogue in Hungarian that we really needed to speed up the process otherwise we’d still be in post(production).”

2

Karla Sofía Gascón’s Racist Tweets & Comments About Fernanda Torres

Gascón’s Other Social Media Mishaps

A Best Actress contender, Karla Sofía Gascón, came under fire recently due to comments she made about fellow Best Actress nominee Fernanda Torres. Gascón, who stars in the musical movie, Emilia Pérez, stated in an interview that she “sees many people working around Fernanda Torres who talk badly about me, and Emilia Pérez.” After earning significant backlash, Gascón backtracked, claiming that she was talking more generally about social media hate she has been receiving. However, many internet users wondered if Gascón was breaking Academy rules by indirectly disparaging her compeтιтion. Ultimately, the Academy voted no to those claims.

Unfortunately, this is not the only situation wherein Gascón’s words have been brought into question. Several of the actress’s tweets from between 2020 and 2023 have been resurfaced and condemned. In them, Gascón criticizes Islam, calls George Floyd a “drug addict swindler,” and accuses the Academy Awards of being a ceremony for “independent and protest films,” (Forbes), with derisive comments for Black and Asian films. Although Gascón has apologized for her problematic tweets, many feel that it is too little, too late. Regardless, the actress and Emilia Pérez are still up for several awards.

1

Fernanda Torres & Zoe Saldaña’s Blackface Controversies Resurface

What The Actresses Have Said (Or Not Said) About These Controversies

Most recently, audiences have begun to rally against actresses Fernanda Torres and Zoe Saldaña, both of whom appeared in blackface earlier in their careers. Torres, who stars in the Brazilian film I’m Still Here, wore blackface in 2008 on a sketch comedy show called Fantastico. Meanwhile, Saldaña, who has been nominated for Emilia Pérez, used blackface in 2012 when she starred as Nina Simone in the musician’s biopic, Nina. Notably, the movie was filmed in 2012, but premiered in 2016. Furthermore, Saldaña not only darkened her skin, but used a bodysuit, nose prosthetic, and false teeth.

Torres recently spoke out about this controversy, publicly apologizing for what she had done. In a statement to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, Torres stated, “it’s very clear now in our country and everywhere that blackface is never acceptable.” Saldaña also apologized for her actions, though her statement came in a 2020 interview where she said, “I should have tried everything in my power to cast a Black woman to play an exceptionally perfect Black woman,” (CNN.) Either way, both actresses maintain their nominations in the 2025 Oscars race.