Hello Sunday Wrap readers,

With the United States at war with Iran, Steve Pond revisits the 2003 Oscars, which took place just days after the invasion of Iraq.

The show went on, but not without a scaled-back red carpet and plenty of backstage drama. Several A-list presenters backed out, and the conflict cast a pall over the glitzy event.

Michael Moore, accepting the feature documentary award for “Bowling for Columbine,” unloaded on the Bush administration. “We have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons!” he declared.

It’s still hours before we know whether “Sinners” or “One Battle After Another” will take the top spot, so check out Pond’s insightful piece.

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Michael Calderone
Media Editor
michael.calderone@thewrap.com

Remember When a War in the Middle East Completely Disrupted the Oscars?

In 2003, the U.S. attack on Iraq caused cancellations, protests, rewrites and catastrophic ratings, but the Oscars forged ahead

By Steve Pond

The United States and Israel began bombing Iran on Feb. 28, 15 days before the 98th Academy Awards. For people who’ve been following the Oscars for a long time, the timing brought vivid memories of March 2003, when the U.S. invaded Iraq the week before the Oscars ceremony.

There are dramatic differences between the two years, of course. In 2003, the war began only three days before the Oscars, prompting immediate talk of canceling the show and leading to a decision to eliminate the red carpet lined with fans and press; in 2026, there was no outcry to cancel or delay the ceremony. When the war in Iraq started in 2003, it was the main – in fact, the only – topic of conversation in Academy Awards circles. But on the weekend when hostilities began in Iran this year, the big awards news was that “Sinners” had beaten “One Battle After Another” at the Actor Awards.

Both shows have raised qualms about celebrating entertainment at a time when bombs are falling, and both raised obvious security concerns, this year’s focusing on a threat of Iranian drone strikes on California, something far beyond the scope of Oscars security.

In that atmosphere, it seemed to be a good time to take a look back at how the 2003 show played out behind the scenes...

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