With the Oscars ceremony only a couple short weeks away, film fans are bracing themselves for the first telecast from the Academy to be without a host in decades. After Kevin Hart was hired (and then subsequently left), the AMPAS struggled to find a replacement, ultimately deciding to let the presenters become the de facto hosts. However, in an alternate universe, where the Academy’s first choice for host came through, we could be anticipating a Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson-hosted awards show.
The news of Johnson’s almost-Oscars gig comes directly from the muscle-y man himself. In a recent Twitter post, the charisma machine revealed that he was originally the first choice to host, but it ended up not working out.
“I was their first choice to host this year, and my goal was to make it the most fun and entertaining Oscars ever,” Johnson tweeted. “We all tried hard, but couldn’t make it work since I’m shooting ‘Jumanji.’ Academy and I were super bummed but maybe one day down the road.”
Obviously, had The Rock been chosen to host the Oscars, it’s likely we wouldn’t have had the hosting controversy that ended up playing out, as Johnson is universally adored actor that is very controlled in how he approaches issues. Unlike the comedian Hart, who has never been shy about voicing his opinions, no matter what the public thinks.
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However, it’s interesting that The Rock’s commitment to “Jumanji 2” is the reason it didn’t work out with him and the Oscars. Considering he co-stars in the film with the aforementioned Hart, you would assume that the comedian would have the same scheduling issues, or at least very similar issues. Of course, it could be a matter of Hart being trained as a stand-up, which allows him to not need nearly as much preparation as an untrained host like Johnson.
Either way, this is all just hypotheticals, as Johnson won’t be the host this year. There’s always 2020, right?
https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/1093293375447490561
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