The One Part Of The Oscars James Bond Tribute That Makes No Sense
The James Bond franchise is one of Hollywood's longest and most enduring film series. Centered on the spy of all spies, the 007 films have a long and storied history, going all the way back to 1962's "Dr. No." Since the release of that film, Eon Productions has released a grand total of 25 different films in the action spy series, earning billions of dollars in the process (via Box Office Mojo). In fact, "No Time To Die," the most recent film in the franchise, earned more than $770 million worldwide upon its release in 2021 (via Box Office Mojo).
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the franchise and its many accomplishments, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences took a few minutes out of the 94th Academy Awards ceremony to remember this history. Set to the classic Wings' hit single "Live and Let Die" (from the film of the same name), a montage of clips took audiences through many of the greatest on-screen moments in the life of the famous spy. Notably, this moment featured clips from all Eon Productions Bond actors, including Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.
However, one particular moment from the tribute caused more than a few Twitter users to scratch their heads and simply ask, "Why?"
Why did three athletes introduce the Bond tribute?
One of the bigger oddities surrounding the 94th Academy Awards was the choice of presenters for the tribute to 60 years of James Bond films. Rather than employ the talents of any of the plethora of living actors who have starred in the long-running franchise, the Academy saw fit to look elsewhere. Despite the fact that "Skyfall" actors Dame Judi Dench and Javier Bardem were literally directly in front of the stage, the presenters chosen for this segment included pro-skater Tony Hawk, pro-surfer Kelly Slater, and pro-snowboarder Shaun White. Many Twitter users were quick to point out that these three celebrities have absolutely nothing to do with the 007 franchise.
"If Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Dalton, George Lazenby, and Daniel Craig had come out I would have called this the greatest Oscars ever," Twitter user @joshuahorowitz said. "But hey at least we got Kelly Slater."
Twitter user @julsrich shared an amusing joke about an imagined conversation between Oscar writers attempting to justify such an odd combination. In the joke, a pair of Oscar writers surmise that James Bond has previously used a skateboard, surfboard, and a snowboard at least once and, therefore, this selection must be perfect.
Additionally, some other Twitter users found it noteworthy that George Lazenby, the actor who played James Bond in 1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," was left out of the introductory name drops, despite the presenters' seeming intention to name each Bond actor. "George Lazenby not getting a mention is an outrageous snub," Twitter user @indie_melbourne said. "'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' is an overlooked Bond film. It's one of the best though."