Not everyone was happy about “Green Book” winning best picture. According to reports from inside the Dolby Theatre, “BlackKklansman” director Spike Lee was visibly upset by the announcement and tried to leave the ceremony before the speeches had concluded. “I’m snakebit. Every time someone’s driving somebody, I lose,” he later told reporters backstage, in reference to his breakout film, “Do the Right Thing,” losing the Oscar for Best Screenplay to “Driving Miss Daisy” in 1990. “I thought I was court side at the Garden and the refs made a bad call.” After presenter Julia Roberts announced “Green Book” as Best Picture, AP reporter Andrew Dalton was one of several journalists who noticed Lee wave his arms in anger before storming out of the theater. However, before he could leave, he was stopped at the doors and was forced to return to his seat once the speeches had stopped. Jordan Peele, the Oscar-winning writer-director behind last year’s “Get Out,” reportedly didn’t clap either, nor did other attendees nearby. The backlash appears to be in response to controversy surrounding the film, which had been criticized for perpetuating what some saw as a “white savior” narrative approach to examining race relations. The film topped “BlacKkKlansman,” “Roma” and other critical favorites to win the night’s top prize. “Green Book” was also embroiled in controversy involving the family members of the late Don Shirley, whom the film was based on. Previously, Shirley’s nephew, Edwin Shirley III, and brother, Maurice Shirley openly criticized the film in an interview with Shadow And Act, calling its portrayal of Dr. Don Shirley a “Symphony of Lies” – a statement that film star Viggo Mortensen called “unjustified” and “unfair.” Soon after, screenwriter Nick Vallelonga was implicated in yet another controversy when anti-Muslim tweets resurfaced, showing that Vallelonga had previously upheld a false conservative rumor that American Muslims could be seen cheering after 9/11. Vallelonga later apologized for the tweets writing in a statement, “I spent my life trying to bring this story of overcoming differences and finding common ground to the screen and I am incredibly sorry to everyone associated with ‘Green Book.’ I especially deeply apologize to the incredibly brilliant and kind Mahershala Ali and all member of the Muslim faith for the hurt I have caused. I am also sorry to my late father who changed so much from Dr. Shirley’s friendship and I promise this lesson is not lost on me. “Green Book” is a story about love, acceptance and overcoming barriers, and I will do better.” Finally, director Peter Farrelly was embroiled in his own controversy after reports surfaced about how he would regularly flash his penis two decades ago on the sets of films like “There’s Something About Mary.” “True. I was an idiot,” he said in an apology. “I did this decades ago and I thought I was being funny and the truth is I’m embarrassed and it makes me cringe now. I’m deeply sorry.”<doc-sep>Share this Story: Spike Lee, upset after Green Book won Best Picture, tried to leave the Oscars: 'The refs made a bad call' Spike Lee, upset after Green Book won Best Picture, tried to leave the Oscars: 'The refs made a bad call' 'I’m snakebit. Every time someone’s driving somebody, I lose,' he added, in reference to his breakout film Do the Right Thing losing the Oscar in 1990 to Driving Miss Daisy Photo by FayesVision / WENN.com Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Article content Spike Lee was reportedly visibly upset and even tried to leave the Oscars ceremony after Green Book was named Best Picture. According to Variety, the BlacKkKlansman director, 61, was seen waving his arms in disgust, and tried to leave the Dolby Theater when presenter Julia Roberts announced that the controversy-hit film had won. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Spike Lee, upset after Green Book won Best Picture, tried to leave the Oscars: 'The refs made a bad call' Back to video However, he was stopped at the doors and forced to return to his seat once the speeches had stopped. “I’m snakebit. Every time someone’s driving somebody, I lose,” he added, in reference to his breakout film Do the Right Thing losing the Oscar for Best Screenplay to Driving Miss Daisy in 1990. “I thought I was court side at the (Madison Square) Garden and the refs made a bad call,” Lee fired. Photo by FayesVision / WENN.com He had initially shouted “next question” when asked about his reaction to Green Book’s victory, and quipped, “This is my sixth glass, and you know why,” while holding his champagne flute aloft. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Later, chatting to reporters at the Vanity Fair after-party, Lee said: “Are you British? Let me give you a British answer – it wasn’t my cup of tea.” According to Variety, Get Out filmmaker and comedian Jordan Peele was among the other stars who didn’t applaud Green Book’s win. Hollywood’s top award was handed to a film seen as a feel-good throwback by some and ridiculed as an outdated inversion of “Driving Miss Daisy” by others. The film – based on the true story of celebrated pianist Dr. Don Shirley’s friendship with his driver, Tony Vallelonga – has been extensively criticized for its overly simplistic treatment of racial issues. Photo by MATT PETIT / AFP/Getty Images Mahershala Ali scooped the Best Supporting Actor trophy for his portrayal of Dr. Shirley. But Dr. Shirley’s nephew, Edwin Shirley III, and brother, Maurice Shirley, have openly criticized the film and called its portrayal of the musician “a symphony of lies”. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content In a year where Hollywood could have made history by bestowing best picture on Netflix (“Roma”) or Marvel (“Black Panther”) for the first time, the motion picture academy instead threw its fullest support behind a traditional interracial buddy tale that proved as popular as it was divisive. But Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book” weathered criticism that it was retrograde and inauthentic to triumph over more acclaimed films and bigger box-office successes. It was an unexpected finale to a brisk, hostless ceremony that was awash in historic wins for diversity, including Lee’s first competitive Oscar. More women and more individual black nominees won than ever before. The Oscars otherwise spread awards around for Ryan Coogler’s superhero sensation “Black Panther,” Alfonso Cuaron’s black-and-white personal epic “Roma” and the Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Photo by Kevin Winter / Getty Images “The whole story is about love,” said Farrelly, a filmmaker best known for broad comedies like “Dumb and Dumber” and “There’s Something About Mary.” ”It’s about loving each other despite the differences and find out the truth about who we are. We’re the same people.“ Lee’s win for best adapted screenplay for his white supremacist drama “BlacKkKlansman,” an award he shared with three co-writers, gave the ceremony its signature moment. The crowd rose in a standing ovation, Lee leapt into the arms of presenter Samuel L. Jackson and even the backstage press room burst into applause. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Be nice if Spike Lee could read his notes, or better yet not have to use notes at all, when doing his racist hit on your President, who has done more for African Americans (Criminal Justice Reform, Lowest Unemployment numbers in History, Tax Cuts,etc.) than almost any other Pres! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2019 Lee, whose film includes footage of President Donald Trump following the violent white supremacist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, urged mobilization for the upcoming election. “Let’s be on the right side of history. Make the moral choice between love and hate,” said Lee, who was given an honorary Oscar in 2015. “Let’s do the right thing! You knew I had to get that in there.” One of the biggest surprises of the night was in the best actress category. Olivia Colman won for her Queen Anne in the royal romp “The Favourite,” denying Glenn Close her first Oscar. Close remains the most-nominated living actor never to win, with seven nominations. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision / The Associated Press “Ooo. It’s genuinely quite stressful,” said a staggered Colman, who later turned to Close to say she was her idol, “And this is not how I wanted it to be.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The night’s co-lead nominee “Roma” won best director and best cinematography for Cuaron, whose film also notched Mexico’s first foreign language film Oscar. Cuaron and his “Three Amigos” countrymen — Alejandro Inarritu and Guillermo del Toro, who presented Cuaron with best picture — have had a stranglehold on the category, winning five of the last six years. Cuaron, who becoming the first director to ever win for serving as his own director of photography, referenced an especially international crop of nominees in one of his three acceptance speeches. “When asked about the New Wave, Claude Chabrol said there are no waves, there is only the ocean,” said Cuaron, referring to the French filmmaker. “The nominees tonight have proven that we are a part of the same ocean.” The Associated Press, with files from WENN Share this article in your social network Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Shopping essentials Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. NP Posted Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Trending<doc-sep>UPDATED with details from backstage: While he didn’t take the stage like Kanye West did years ago on the MTV Video Music Awards when Taylor Swift won an award that he felt should have gone to Beyoncé, BlacKkKlansman director Spike Lee did the next best thing when the Best Picture Oscar was won by Green Book. Our Pete Hammond reported from the Dolby Theatre that Lee clearly was furious, got up and walked toward the back of the auditorium in a huff. He then turned back and appeared to get into an intense conversation with Jordan Peele, who was behind him. Lee paced the aisle and stormed to the back of the auditorium. When he came back, he turned his back to the stage during the speech. In a recent appearance he made on CBS Sunday Morning to promote his Best Picture candidate, Lee recalled the time that Do the Right Thing didn’t get a Best Picture nomination for 1989, the year that Driving Miss Daisy won. At that time, he said he wasn’t commenting on Green Book but might have something to say if that film won. Don’t be surprised if microphones follow him everywhere. Awkward moment for Universal, which released Green Book, and whose Focus Features released BlacKkKlansman. Related Story Oscars: ‘Green Book’ Wins Best Picture – Complete Winners List Lee finally won the first Oscar of his long career, sharing Best Adapted Screenplay with Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmot. He got skunked in the Best Director category when Alfonso Cuarón won, but didn’t get out of his chair for that one. It is unlikely that Lee’s classless outburst was simply sour grapes for not winning. This was about the undercurrent that seemed to follow Green Book through much of the race. It did seem hypocritical of Lee, whose Oscar speech emphasized choosing love over hate, when speaking about President Trump and the 2020 presidential elections. Asked backstage at the Dolby Theatre if his Adapted Screenplay win makes up for Do the Right Thing loss at the 1990 Oscars and the Academy overlooking it for a Best Picture nomination, Lee quipped in reference to that year’s Driving Miss Daisy Best Picture win and this year’s Green Book Oscar in the top category: “I’m snake bit. Every time somebody is driving somebody, I lose – but they changed the seating arrangement!”<doc-sep>
When Green Book won the Oscar for Best Picture at the 2019 Academy Awards, Spike Lee stood up and attempted to leave the Dolby Theater, the Associated Press reports. Lee reportedly appeared “visibly angry” over Green Book’s win, waved his hands, and walked to the exit with his Oscar in hand. He was reportedly stopped by staffers and walked back to his seat. Lee’s film BlacKkKlansman was also nominated for Best Picture. In the press room, Lee said, “I’m snakebit. I mean every time somebody's driving somebody, I lose. But they changed the seating arrangement!” Lee’s film Do the Right Thing did not win any awards in 1990—the year Driving Miss Daisy won multiple awards including Best Picture. When asked specifically about his reaction to Green Book winning, he reportedly said, “Next question!” (Speaking to the BBC, he says his response was: “Let me sip some Champagne.”) He closed by saying, “Whether we won Best Picture or not, this film will stand the test of time being on the right side of history.” He told the BBC: “I guess it’s progress, because Do the Right Thing didn’t even get nominated.” Asked what he thinks of Green Book, he said, after shaking his head, “I mean, it seems very similar to Driving Miss Daisy. They just changed the driving positions.” When pressed on whether something about Green Book “offends” him, Lee said he’d give the British reporters a British answer: “It wasn’t my cup of tea.” Pitchfork has reached out to Lee’s representatives for comment. When Lee was asked about Green Book in a previous interview, he said, “I had a talk with my wife, and we’re not speaking about no other films. Particularly that one.” When asked if he’d stay quiet if Green Book won the Oscar for Best Picture, he laughed and replied, “Well I didn’t say that! Let’s not take it too far!” Tonight, Lee won his first non-honorary Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. In an Instagram post, he said of the win: Read Pitchfork’s feature “Debunking Green Book: Jazz Greats on What It Was Really Like to Tour During Jim Crow.” Follow all of Pitchfork’s coverage of this year’s Oscars, as well as Pitchfork’s Music and Movies Week coverage.