Tuesday, February 26, 2013
By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Ken Taylor satisfied with Affleck’s Oscar shoutout
Former Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor says he was satisfied to hear Ben Affleck thank Canada as the director accepted the best picture Oscar for the political thriller Argo on Sunday night.
Taylor watched the awards bash from the AOL offices in New York, where he took part in a live online interview with James Lipton of Inside the Actors Studio.
The diplomat had earlier suggested he was hoping Affleck would mention Canada’s role in the 1980 rescue of six U.S. embassy staffers in the Iranian capital if Argo — which dramatizes the high-risk operation — won the top prize.
Late Sunday, he acknowledged Affleck’s shoutout to Canada during a rapid-fire speech that also offered thanks to “everyone in the movie.”
“He, in a rush, accepted and tried to extend recognition to everybody in sight and so that was fine. We were comfortable with that,” Taylor said in a phone interview immediately after the AOL taping.
“I think that the nature of the Oscars is such that it’s an electric moment for those involved and they all want to say something within a set time and I think that’s it. Whatever scripted thoughts they had they put away and get caught up in the theme and the celebration.”
Flanked by co-producer George Clooney, Affleck threw kudos to his fellow nominees, especially Lincoln director Steven Spielberg and the real-life CIA agent who inspired his film. (Source: CBC News)