America has been divided for months by brutal political tactics and outspoken animus. But on Sunday, as it stepped onto its biggest stage, the entertainment industry took another approach in its war against President Trump.
It decided to show rather than tell.
The verbal ripostes at the Academy Awards were less pointed than might have been expected after a campaign season marked by lopsided Hollywood support of Trump’s opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, and angry objections to Trump’s early presidential moves by the liberals who dominate the community.
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Presenter Warren Beatty and host Jimmy Kimmel try to explain to the audience how the wrong envelope for best picture was read on stage during the Academy Awards telecast on Feb. 26. In background are “Moonlight” writer/director Barry Jenkins, left and “La La Land” producer Jordan Horowitz embracing.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Presenter Warren Beatty tries to explain to the audience how the wrong envelope for best picture was read onstage during the Academy Awards telecast on Feb. 26.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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“La La Land” producer Jordan Horowitz holds up the winner card for best picture. His film had been read as the winner, but the actual winner was “Moonlight.”
(Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
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The audience at the Dolby Theatre is stunned after the best picture award is mistakenly announced as “La La Land” instead of “Moonlight” during the 89th Academy Awards.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Presenter Warren Beatty and host Jimmy Kimmel try to explain to the audience how the wrong envelope for best picture was read onstage during the Academy Awards telecast on Feb. 26. At right are “Moonlight” writer/director Barry Jenkins, left, and “La La Land” producer Jordan Horowitz embracing.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Warren Beatty attempts to explain how “La La Land” was mistakenly announced as the best picture winner instead of “Moonlight.” (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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“La La Land” producer Jordan Horowitz, with Warren Beatty and host Jimmy Kimmel, after the mistaken annoucement that “La La Land” had won. “Moonlight” was the actual best picture winner.
(Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
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Fred Berger, foreground center, and the cast of “La La Land” mistakenly accept the award for best picture at the Oscars.
(Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press)
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Accountants for Price Waterhouse Coopers take the correct envelope onto the stage after the best-picture mixup.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Barry Jenkins holds up a best picture Oscar for “Moonlight.” (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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From left, “Moonlight” writer/director Barry Jenkins, and producers Adele Romanski and Jeremy Kleiner accept the Oscar for best picture during the Academy Awards telecast on Feb. 26.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Janelle Monae reacts onstage after “Moonlight” won for best picture during the Academy Awards telecast on Feb. 26.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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“La La Land” producer Fred Berger, left, congratulates actor Mahershala Ali onstage after it was announced that “Moonlight” won for best picture.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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“Moonlight” actor Ashton Sanders is stunned after the movie won for best picture during the Academy Awards telecast on Feb. 26.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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“Moonlight” writer/director Barry Jenkins holds the Oscar for best picture during the Academy Awards telecast on Feb. 26.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Mahershala Ali and Ryan Gosling backstage after it was announced that “Moonlight” won for best picture during the Academy Awards telecast on Feb. 26.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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“Moonlight” actors Andre Holland, left, and Ashton Sanders backstage during the Academy Awards telecast on Feb. 26.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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“Moonlight” actors Andre Holland, left, and Ashton Sanders backstage during the Academy Awards telecast on Feb. 26.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Barry Jenkins, center, and the cast and crew of “Moonlight,” which won the Oscar for best picture.
(Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press)
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Trevante Rhodes hugs Mahershala Ali after “Moonlight” was correctly identified as the winner of best picture.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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The cast and crew of “Moonlight” receives their best picture award after a chaotic mixup.
(Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images)
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Presenter Faye Dunaway backstage at the Academy Awards.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Ryan Gosling learns that his film, “La La Land,” did not win the best picture Oscar.
(Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
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Producer Ezra Edelman takes a photo of his statue as it is being engraved after winning for his documentary, “OJ: Made in America.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Presenters Michael J. Fox (left) and Seth Rogen (right) flank John Gilbert (center), who won a film editing Oscar for “Hacksaw Ridge.”
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones, Dan Lemmon and Robert Legato pose with their visual effects Oscars for “The Jungle Book.”
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Presenters Kate McKinnon (left) and Jason Bateman (right) flank Christopher Nelson, Giorgio Gregorian and Alessandro Bertolazzi, who won Oscars for makeup and hairstyling.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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“La La Land” star Emma Stone on stage with Leonardo DiCaprio after she won the Oscar for lead actress.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Casey Affleck after he won lead actor for “Manchester by the Sea” during the telecast of the 89th Academy Awards.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Damien Chazelle accepts the award for best director for “La La Land” from Halle Berry.
(Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
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Host Jimmy Kimmel tweets that “#Merylsayshi” at President Trump.
(Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press)
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John Legend performs during the telecast of the 89th Academy Awards.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Surprised tourists brought to the Oscars chat with celebrities in the front row.
(Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images)
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Mahershala Ali, right, hands his Oscar to a tourist named Gary who was brought into the theater with others as a surprise.
(Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press)
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Denzel Washington, center right, “marries” an engaged couple during a surprise visit of a Hollywood tour bus group during the telecast of the 89th Academy Awards.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Sting performs.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Engineer and astronaut Anousheh Ansari, right, and former NASA scientist Firouz Naderi with the award for best foreign language film for “The Salesman.” They accepted on behalf of director Asghar Farhadi.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Charlize Theron, left, and Shirley MacLaine.
(Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
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Mahershala Ali, left, and Viola Davis, winners for best supporting actor and actress.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Viola Davis accepts the Oscar for supporting actress during the telecast of the 89th Academy Awards.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Viola Davis, winner of the award for best supporting actress, kisses Julius Tennon.
(Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press)
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Dwayne Johnson sings a bit of “You’re Welcome” from “Moana” during the Oscars telecast.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Kevin O’Connell, left, and Andy Wright accept the award for best sound mixing for “Hacksaw Ridge.”
(Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press)
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Janelle Monae, Katherine Johnson, Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Lin-Manuel Miranda raps during the telecast of the 89th Academy Awards.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Auli’i Cravalho sings “How Far I’ll Go” from “Moana” during the telecast of the 89th Academy Awards.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Producer Caroline Waterlow and director Ezra Edelman, winners for best documentary feature.
(Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images)
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Mahershala Ali wins for best supporting actor.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Alicia Vikander, left, presents Mahershala Ali with the award for best supporting actor.
(Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press)
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Host Jimmy Kimmel
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Host Jimmy Kimmel
(Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images)
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Justin Timberlake performs to open the show.
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Justin Timberlake performs during the telecast of the 89th Academy Awards.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Scarlett Johansson and date Joe Machota of CAA arrive at the 89th Academy Awards.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Mayor Eric Garcetti makes an L.A. hand signal.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Justin Timberalke and Jessica Biel arrive at the Oscars.
(Jordan Strauss / Associated Press)
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Halle Berry on the red carpet.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Sunny Pawar of “Lion” during the arrivals at the 89th Academy Awards.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Chef Wolfgang Puck presents Oscars cuisine during the arrivals at the 89th Academy Awards.
The imagery of the night, however, spoke loudly. Winners included the first Muslim actor ever to receive an Oscar, an Iranian director who boycotted the ceremony in protest of Trump’s anti-refugee and immigrant order targeting seven predominantly Muslim countries, and “The White Helmets,” a short documentary about the Syrian conflict, the acceptance for which included a quote from the Koran.
The global reach and the diversity of the winners served to distinguish Hollywood from the more inward focus of the president, whose “America First” argument has in many ways distanced the country from other nations, particularly in the Muslim world and next-door Mexico.
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Pointed critiques of Trump had marked earlier events in the awards season, most dramatically Meryl Streep’s denunciation of him at the Golden Globes and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s blast at the Writers Guild ceremony.
On Sunday, the most obvious effort to repudiate Trump came from the man who was not on the stage: the boycotting Asghar Farhadi, the Iranian director of the foreign-language Oscar winner, “The Salesman.” He had announced well before the ceremony that he would not attend out of respect to citizens of the countries affected by Trump’s travel ban.
Anousheh Ansari and Dr. Dirouz Naderi accepted the award for Asghar Farad for the foreign film “The Salesman.”
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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“I’m sorry I’m not with you tonight,” he said in a statement read onstage by Iranian engineer Anousheh Ansari. “Dividing the world into the ‘us’ and ‘our enemies’ categories creates fears. A deceitful justification for aggression and war. These wars prevent democracy and human rights in countries which have themselves been victims of aggression.”
But that kind of outspokenness was the exception. Many in the crowd wore blue ribbons in support of the American Civil Liberties Union, which has fought some of Trump’s early policies. In what she called “a small sign of solidarity,” director Ava DuVernay announced that she was wearing a gown by a designer from a majority Muslim country. But most of the winners avoided political comments.
Even if they had indulged, any action on Sunday night was unlikely to change public opinion — beyond, perhaps, relief at the ceasing of open hostilities. The first five weeks of Trump’s presidency have hardened both supporters and opponents along ideological, political and cultural lines.
If Trump opponents found some solace in the occasional expression of their contempt, his supporters were as likely to view any disdain from the entertainment community as a badge of honor for the president.
The night’s host, comedian Jimmy Kimmel, repeatedly went after Trump, beginning one minute into the broadcast when he noted that it was being watched by people in more than 100 countries “that now hate us.” But he too struck a conciliatory tone.
“If every one of you took a minute to reach out to one person you disagree with, someone you like, and have a positive, considerate conversation — not as liberals or conservatives, as Americans — if we would all do that, we could make America great again, we really could,” Kimmel said, adopting Trump’s slogan.”It starts with us.”
Cathleen Decker is a former politic analyst for the Los Angeles Times who wrote about the Trump administration and the themes, demographics and personalities central to national and state contests. In 2016 she covered her 10th presidential campaign; she has also covered seven races for governor and a host of U.S. Senate and local elections. She directed The Times’ 2012 presidential campaign coverage. Decker left The Times in 2018.
