Oscars tea: 13 behind-the-scenes trivia you probably didn’t know about the Academy Awards

The gold statuette handed to winners is widely known as an Oscar, but its official name is the Academy Award of Merit. The nickname “Oscar” became popular in the 1930s and was later adopted by the Academy itself. The figure depicts a knight holding a sword while standing on a film reel with five spokes, representing the original branches of the Academy: actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers.

During the broadcast, designated “seat fillers” quietly occupy empty chairs when celebrities leave the auditorium. Actors often step out to use the restroom, give interviews or attend backstage photo sessions. The practice prevents noticeable gaps in the audience during the live telecast. Seat fillers are usually industry guests or volunteers instructed to move quickly whenever production staff signal that a seat needs to be occupied.

After winning Best Actress for The Reader in 2009, Kate Winslet revealed she keeps her statuette in the bathroom of her home. She explained in interviews that visitors inevitably pick it up and rehearse imaginary acceptance speeches while using the mirror, which she finds amusing. It is one of the more casual fates for a trophy associated with the Oscars.

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Japanese actor Miyoshi Umeki became the first Asian performer to win an acting Academy Award when she received Best Supporting Actress for Sayonara in 1958. Her performance opposite Marlon Brando was praised for its emotional restraint. The win marked an early moment of Asian representation in Hollywood’s awards landscape, long before such recognition became a broader industry conversation.

For several years the Academy gave newspapers a list of winners in advance under an embargo, allowing them to print results after the ceremony began. That system collapsed in 1940 when the Los Angeles Times published the winners early in an evening edition before the ceremony started. Since then the Academy has relied on sealed envelopes to maintain secrecy during the Oscars broadcast.

Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane is widely regarded as one of the most influential films ever made, yet it did not win Best Picture. At the 1942 ceremony, the award went to John Ford’s wartime drama How Green Was My Valley. Over time critics and historians have frequently described the result as one of the most debated decisions in Oscars history.

When Marlon Brando won Best Actor for The Godfather, he refused the award and did not attend the ceremony. Instead, activist Sacheen Littlefeather appeared on stage to decline the trophy on his behalf and read a statement about Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans. The moment remains one of the most politically charged events in Oscars history.

The 93rd Academy Awards in 2021 took place under strict pandemic rules. Attendees were required to undergo multiple COVID-19 tests before entering the ceremony and follow health protocols designed to keep the event operational during the global outbreak. The production was staged partly at Union Station in Los Angeles to allow more controlled distancing.

After the Oscars ceremony concludes, winners and guests head to the Governors Ball, the official post‑show celebration hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The first Governors Ball was held after the 30th Academy Awards in 1958, and it has continued almost every year since. What started as a simple dinner has evolved into a large party at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood. For decades the event has been catered by chef Wolfgang Puck, whose team constructs elaborate menus for roughly 1,500 to 1,600 attendees. Dishes often blend classic comforts and international flavours, and chocolate “mini Oscars” dusted in gold are a signature treat for guests to enjoy—and even take home. 

A small number of individuals are barred from attending the ceremony after disciplinary action from the Academy. One of the most public cases involved Will Smith, who received a 10 year ban from Academy events after striking presenter Chris Rock during the 2022 broadcast.

Others expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences include producer Harvey Weinstein, actor and comedian Bill Cosby, director Roman Polanski, cinematographer Adam Kimmel and actor Carmine Caridi. Caridi was expelled in 2004 for sharing Academy screening copies of films that later appeared online. Weinstein, Cosby and Polanski were removed in 2017 and 2018 following misconduct cases that prompted wider changes to the Academy’s membership rules. Kimmel was expelled in 2021 after a criminal conviction involving a minor. Expulsion from the organisation effectively prevents individuals from attending the Oscars or participating in Academy activities.

Composer John Williams holds the record for the most nominations of any individual in Academy Awards history. The Star Wars, Jaws and Indiana Jones composer has earned more than 54 nominations across his career, placing him second only to Walt Disney in total Oscars won by an individual nominee category.

Ryan Coogler’s film Sinners set a new nomination record with 16 nominations for the 98th Academy Awards. The previous benchmark was 14 nominations, shared by All About Eve, Titanic and La La Land. The record-breaking nomination tally marked the largest number ever received by a single film in the history of the Oscars. 

Even after nearly a century, the Academy Awards continue to produce moments that become part of film history. Some are the result of ceremony logistics. Others reflect the personalities and politics surrounding the film industry. Together they explain why the Oscars remain as much about storytelling offstage as the films honoured on it.

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