Leslie Jordan Trying To Say Denis Villeneuve’s Name During Oscar Nominations Is Adorable

This morning was a very exciting one for both film professionals and fans, as the 2022 Oscar nominations were announced. The virtual event was hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross and Leslie Jordan, who had some great chemistry throughout the somewhat awkward announcement. And Jordan trying to say Denis Villeneuve’s for Dune’s Oscar noms is so adorable.

Leslie Jordan is a legendary character actor who has been working consistently for years. But he became one of the unexpected stars of the pandemic age, thanks to his delightful Instagram updates. That same charisma was on display for the Oscar nominations, although he struggled (twice) with pronouncing the name of Denis Villeneuve. You can see that moment below,

Well, he certainly gave it his best try. These nominations are high pressure live events, especially when dealing with technical issues. And while Leslie Jordan had to name countless artists throughout, it was Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve’s name that served as the most challenging.

The above clip comes to us from Twitter, as one fan quickly captured Leslie Jordan’s delightful misstep as the Oscar nominations were being announced. Indeed, the Twittersphere has plenty of reactions to the attempt at saying Denis Villeneuve’s name. Especially since the Will & Grace icon would eventually mispronounce it in the same way later in the broadcast.

In his defense, these types of errors happen every year during the Academy Award announcements. It’s a ton of pressure to get through all the names and categories, and nobody’s perfect. Leslie Jordan’s co-host Tracee Ellis Ross wasn’t exempt, as she noticeably butchered the name of Belfast actor Ciarán Hinds.

Of course, the most infamous name snafu in recent Academy Awards memory comes to us from Mr. John Travolta. When introducing Idina Menzel’s performance of “Let It Go” back in 2014 he called the actress “Adele Dazeem.” That quickly went viral, and continues to be made into memes.

You can watch the full Oscar nominations telecast below, and watch Leslie Jordan in all of his adorable glory.

It remains to be seen if/how the great Denis Villeneuve reacted to his name being flubbed during the Academy Award nominations broadcast. Although the acclaimed filmmaker may have bigger fish to fry, as he was noticeably snubbed from the Best Director category. This is especially surprising given how many noms Dune managed to rack up throughout the announcement. Indeed, the science fiction epic was nominated for a whopping 10 Oscars, including Best Picture. So Villeneuve’s absence is definitely a head-scratcher.

Now that the official Oscar nominees have been announced, anticipation for the upcoming Award ceremony is sure to heat up. There are a number of first-time nominees, including actors like Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog) and Kirsten Stewart (Spencer). The Academy Awards will take place March 27th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.