It’s an honor just to be nominated, the cliché goes. But earning an Academy Award nomination is much more than that. Even the actors and actresses who…
It’s an honor just to be nominated, the cliché goes. But earning an Academy Award nomination is much more than that. Even the actors and actresses who won’t win an Oscar on Sunday still walk away with booty — from exotic vacations to free cars — as well as a paycheck boost.
One of the most coveted perks is, of all things, a sweatshirt. Like the Oscar itself, you can’t buy the top, which is embroidered with the Oscars logo and the word “nominee,” and doled out to everyone up for an award.
Sound engineer Greg P. Russell has 14 of the prized shirts (he’s been nominated 17 times for Best Sound and Best Achievement in Sound Mixing but has never won an Oscar). He said the clothing is a sign that you’re a member of “the hardest, most exclusive club to get into.”
Typically, the tops are handed out at the annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon hosted by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). But panic spread this year, when the 2018 class showed up at the Beverly Hilton in LA on Feb. 5 — and received only a certificate.
“There was a lot of grousing,” said one studio employee who attended. Sources close to the Academy told The Post that Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep and the other nominees should have received their cozy swag this past week.
Otherwise, they’re not getting anything from AMPAS, which cut out official Oscar gift bags a long time ago. But that doesn’t stop other outlets from picking up the slack. For 16 years, the company Distinctive Assets has been distributing gift baskets — said to be worth at least $200,000 — to those in the acting and directing categories.
This year’s basket includes a $40,000 trip to Tanzania, a stay at a villa in Greece, a week in Hawaii and another at the Golden Door spa in Southern California (not to mention such humble items as pepper spray and Jarritos soda). In the past, the gifts have included a year’s worth of Audi A4 car rentals, private walking tours of Japan and even plastic-surgery procedures.
While each company pays $4,000 just to be included, “They get so much social media and press, that’s a drop in the bucket,” said Lash Fary, owner of Distinctive Assets.
And then there’s the wardrobe upgrade. While it’s common knowledge that stars are lent outfits for the Academy Awards red carpet, nominees also have free clothes coming their way for all the other events in the weeks leading up to the ceremony. And if you’re a big star, you don’t necessarily have to send any of it back.
“It depends on the level of A-list-ness,” said one celebrity fashion stylist. “Does Emma Stone have to give her dresses back? I don’t think so.”
Some actresses even turn the red carpet into a payday. According to celeb stylist George Kotsiopoulos, “If you’re the type of person who just wants to make money, you can get paid to dress up and go to every single thing.”
Jewelers often make cash deals for nominees to don their ice. And while celebs return the major necklaces and earrings, they often get to keep smaller pieces.
Event-marketing guru Ted Kruckel recalled how, when he was hyping luxe jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, he went to the Four Seasons Hotel to drop off ruby earrings Sigourney Weaver had requested. “When I called her from the lobby, she said, ‘I changed my mind — but can you leave the small Van Cleef gift with the concierge?’ ’’
“It depends on the actor,” an agent explained. “If Meryl Streep wins another Oscar, it wouldn’t move the needle — her quote’s already high. If Timothée [Chalamet, 22, nominated for Best Actor for “Call Me by Your Name”] or Daniel [Kaluuya, 29, nominated for Best Actor for “Get Out”] win, their quotes would double or triple.”
