Andrea Riseborough has spoken for the first time about the controversy surrounding her Oscar nomination

Andrea Riseborough was as surprised as anyone when her name was called when the Oscar nominations were announced last month.

“I was surprised,” he told Deadline at the time. “It was very hard to believe it could ever happen because we weren’t really in the running for anything else. Although we had a lot of support, the idea seemed far from actually happening.

Now, even with a few weeks of hindsight, Riseborough is still in a bit of a shock.

“I don’t know what I know,” he told The Hollywood Reporter today. “I think once I have time to process everything, I understand it better.”

The question arises as to how such a performance is in a lesser-known film To Leslie Could get a Best Actress nomination, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences launched an investigation into the grassroots campaign of support from the likes of Charlize Theron and Gwyneth Paltrow that helped push Riseborough to the top. Ultimately, the Academy decided against withdrawing Riseborough’s Oscar nomination To Leslie.

“The Academy has determined that the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film should be stripped of its nomination,” AMPAS CEO Bill Kramer said in a statement.

“It’s been confusing,” Riseborough told THR in his first statement about the controversy. “And seeing the film is wonderful. I think it’s a really bright ray of light. When any of us engages in a task, we want that part of the task to be absorbed in some way. You can’t control how people absorb it.”

Regarding the measures that needed to be taken, he observed, “Award campaigns are as monotonous as ever. I don’t yet know what measures will best encourage meritocracy. I am and will continue to work to discover them.”

Regarding the controversy surrounding her nomination, Riseborough said, “It doesn’t just mean that this conversation will spread, but that it’s necessary. The film industry is disgustingly unequal in terms of opportunity. I’m conscious of not speaking for other people’s experiences because they’re better for talking and I I want to hear.”

He continued, “I’m grateful for the conversation because it had to happen. It affected me deeply.”