Atlanta producer Will Packer isn't afraid to swing for the fences. He boosted the careers of both Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish with such comedies as "Ride Along" and "Girls Trip." He tackled a bold reboot of "Roots" for the History Channel.
So when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences asked Packer last fall to produce the 94th annual Academy Awards, he didn't shy away from what is often perceived as a thankless challenge.
"It's been a roller coaster," said Packer. "I could use a couple more months but it is what it is. We're doing a show Sunday."
Here are excerpts from the conversation:
Q: Was this more work than you expected?
A: I knew it would be a ton of work. It's like running a marathon. You know it's long and hard. You get to Mile 20 and think, 'What the hell was I thinking?' I'm probably at Mile 23 right now. I'm ready for Sunday to come. I'm excited. It's interesting because I wish I had more time, yet I'm ready for it to happen right away. It's such a mammoth undertaking.
Q: Why do you think the Oscars has lost so much audience in recent years?
A: A lot of reasons. We're in an oversaturated content environment. Why would I watch an awards show when I have 10 shows I'm in the middle of bingeing? We're also in the social media age. You used to watch the show to see your favorite stars. Now you can see what they wore yesterday and what they ate this morning. The ratings have dropped precipitously. That's no secret. I'm trying to stem that.
Q: So who decided to pretape eight of the Academy categories and run edited versions later during the live show?
A: It was an Academy decision. I support it. Anytime you change anything, it's going to be controversial. That's OK. Change can be good. This is a show that should try different things. I came into this job knowing that if I don't agitate people or shake things up, then I'm just doing the same things everyone else has been doing for years. Why take the gig if I don't make changes? We are the first all-Black producing team. We're coming off two very tumultuous years. We need a celebratory event. We don't need this to just cater to Hollywood insiders. We feel it's for everybody.
Q: I have heard that the pretaped winners will get their time on stage and the change will simply streamline the show for viewers.
A: My goal is to treat everyone with the upmost respect and honor them on a huge night. I'm effectively making the show an hour longer. The first hour is when these awards are given away. Then the live telecast will start and you'll see everybody that won and their speeches within the show.
