Seconds before the most awkward moment in Academy Awards history, Salma Hayek knew something was wrong.
The “Sausage Party” actress ― who handed out Oscars on Sunday night for Best Documentary Short and Best Live Action Short Film ― was close to the action when Faye Dunaway incorrectly announced that “La La Land” had won the night’s top honor over “Moonlight” and other nominees.
Someone offstage quickly realized that the presenters had been handed the wrong envelope, resulting in a gracious hand-off to the “Moonlight” cast and crew, who acknowledged their Best Picture win in complete shock.
“I actually heard the stage manager standing in front of me saying, ‘No, no, no, that is not the movie. And so I saw it before it happened,” Hayek told Entertainment Tonight. “I said, ‘What are they going to do now?’ And then I saw him get onstage. And then I said, ‘Oh my god, they are going to say it.’”
“I actually saw it before everyone else and it was kind of freaky but exciting, and I am just glad at least two movies got to get up onstage and be celebrated,” she continued.
PricewaterhouseCoopers, the company entrusted with counting the ballots for the ceremony every year, issued a statement after the envelope mix-up, taking full responsibility for the situation.
“The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected,” the statement read. “We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misstated that Hayek was waiting offstage.
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