The 2024-25 film awards season is set to conclude this Sunday (March 2) with the crown jewel event: the 97th Academy Awards gala at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre.
This year, a plethora of nominees are being honoured for artistic and technical film achievements across 23 Oscar categories, which includes Best Directing and Best Picture.
The class for Best Actress in a Leading Role is stacked, with Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo going up against Mikey Madison, I’m Still Here’s Fernanda Torres, Golden Globe winner Demi Moore, and Karla Sofía Gascón.
Meanwhile, the Oscar for Best Actor could go to Colman Domingo for his role as John ‘Divine G’ Whitfield in Sing Sing, Ralph Fiennes, Sebastian Stan, The Brutalist’s Adrien Brody, or recent SAG Award winner Timothée Chalamet.
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After 97 events, it would be fair to say that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) runs a tight ship and has a plethora of golden rules in place.
These include: specially employed seat fillers not speaking to celebrities; a set of strict criteria a film must adhere to to get nominated, and a list of banned attendees.
Another legislation in place is that there is no vaping or smoking during the ceremony itself.
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In 1995, California became the first state to ban smoking in public buildings, indoor public spaces, and restaurants.
However, e-cigarettes weren’t included in the smoke free laws until June 2016.
Months before the ban was put in place, actor Leonardo DiCaprio was caught vaping at the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
At the event, the then 41-year-old won the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Hugh Glass in The Revenant.
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However, his first ever SAG award wasn’t what made headlines, it was the fact he was sucking on a vape pen while enjoying the evening.
As pictures emerged, the Titanic actor was scolded by the American Lung Association, who claimed his habit was ‘troubling’, as per TMZ.
This led to AMPAS announcing there would be a strict no-smoking zone inside the Dolby Theatre, the venue where the 88th Academy Awards were held.
Instead, anybody wanting to smoke cigarettes or have a puff on their vape would have to make like the rest of LA and head to a dedicated area.
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This legislation has continued, and will be in force at the Oscars on Sunday evening.
Ahead of the 2016 event, the American Lung Association capitalised on the moment by posting a five-step guide to ‘Get through the Oscars without Smoking’ on its website.
“Whether you’re up for a big award or biting your nails for your favorite blockbuster to take top prize, destress by taking a deep breath,” the institution wrote.
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“Practicing deep breathing can help during an urge to smoke. Smoking urges only last 3 to 5 minutes whether you smoke or not, so taking that moment of Zen can calm your nerves and quell your need to light up.”
They also advised nervous attendees and viewers at home should stick to drinking seltzer water and have snacks on hand to keep them busy.
The Association also advised anybody to ‘drop the vape pen’ and check out the site’s Freedom From Smoking page instead.
Topics: Celebrity, Oscars, TV And Film, Vaping, Health
Ella Scott