Washington [US], March 2 : Legendary actor Harrison Ford, who was scheduled to be a presenter at the 97th Academy Awards, has backed out from his presenting duties due to a recent diagnosis of shingles. The 82-year-old actor is reportedly doing well and is taking the necessary rest to recover.
Shingles, as defined by The Hollywood Reporter, is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. Although Ford will no longer be able to participate in the Oscars ceremony, he is expected to fully recover with proper rest.
Earlier this month, Ford was seen at the red carpet for the Captain America: Brave New World and the second season of the Western drama series 1923 in Los Angeles. During his appearance at the 1923 premiere, Ford expressed his love for working on the show, stating, “I love the viscerality of it, I love the physical nature of the storytelling, I love being in natural circumstances… [It’s] a kind of old-fashioned movie-making mostly, no CGI or very little CGI — a little something to sweeten the location.”
As for the Oscars, several star-studded presenters are still lined up, including Academy Award winners Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer), Emma Stone (Poor Things), Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer), and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers). Other confirmed presenters include Oprah Winfrey, Selena Gomez, Ben Stiller, Sterling K. Brown, Willem Dafoe, Goldie Hawn, Joe Alwyn, Ana de Armas, Connie Nielsen, and Lily-Rose Depp.
The 97th Academy Awards ceremony will be hosted by Conan O’Brien at the Dolby Theatre. The event will be broadcast live on ABC and will also be available for streaming on Hulu on March 2, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.