by Lia Haberman
Peter O'Toole should be ready to pick up his honorary Oscar…in about 10 years.
The feisty old actor, who seems to perceive the Honorary Academy Award as some sort of retirement kiss-off, told the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that he wasn't ready to accept the statuette.
O'Toole's honorary award was announced by the Academy last week. For his 50-year service in the biz, including headlining roles in several classic films, O'Toole has picked up seven Oscar nominations--and has seven Oscar losses.
While "enchanted" at being named a recipient of an honorary statuette, O'Toole rebuffed the Academy's salute in a handwritten open letter, insisting that since he is "still in the game and might win the lovely bugger outright, would the Academy please defer the honour until I am 80?"
Academy president Frank Pierson told Variety on Tuesday, "We will have the Oscar for him, and if he cares to pick it up, that would be great." Pierson also said the mood at the Academy is "bemused and sorry" over the actor's reaction, but that "it would be great if [O'Toole] decides to change his mind and join us."
The Academy prez fired off a response to O'Toole this week, saying "the board unanimously and enthusiastically voted you the honorary award because you've earned and deserved it. As to being 'in the game,' nobody ever thought you were out of it. The award is for achievement and contribution to the art of the motion picture, not for retirement."
Contesting the put-out-to-pasture picture painted by O'Toole, Pierson pointed to fellow old fogie Paul Newman and the late Henry Fonda, who each went on to win competitive Oscars after receiving their honorary awards in '85 and '81, respectively.
Pierson also disputed O'Toole's accusation that "the board of the Academy had informal talks with my agent, during which conversations the subject of the Academy having it in mind to award me an Honorary Oscar was presented."
There were no informal talks insists Pierson, adding "we don't negotiate and it's not contingent upon anyone appearing."
When contacted, O'Toole's London agent Steve Kenis cryptically referred to the exchange between his client and the Academy as a "miscommunication," adding "I don't want to comment, whatever happened is history."
Perhaps if the Academy had given O'Toole his props in years past the "miscommunication" could have been avoided. The actor was a runner-up for Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Becket (1964), The Lion in Winter (1968), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), The Ruling Class (1972), The Stunt Man (1980) and My Favorite Year (1982).
Should O'Toole fail to show and graciously accept his award, the Academy will find itself in uncharted territory. Reluctant winners have refused their competitve awards before--including Marlon Brando, who turned down his 1972 prize for The Godfather, and George C. Scott, who nixed his 1970 Patton nod--but no honorary winner has ever declined the statuette.
Making things even more akward is the inscription: "Peter O'Toole-- whose remarkable talents have provided cinema with some of its most memorable characters." The Oscar nameplates for Brando and Scott were unmarked prior to the ceremony because the winners had not yet been announced.
Nonetheless, Pierson insists the Honorary Oscar will be safely ensconced in the Academy vault and told the cantankerous thespian that his award "will be at the Academy for you to pick up when you're 80 or whenever you're ready."
The 75th Annual Academy Awards will air on ABC live March 23 at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.
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