Who is Otto Desćinski? Everything you need to know about Hollywood icon in Ryan Reynolds' Oscars ads
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If you're one of the many film buffs who watched the 2023 Oscars, you might've noticed a series of advertisements dedicated to honoring visionary Hollywood filmmaker Otto Desćinski. If the director doesn't immediately ring a bell, don't worry, it's because he's so influential that he literally doesn't exist.
Yes, you read that right. Otto Desćinski — better known as Otto Desć — is a completely fictional filmmaker that was made up by Ryan Reynolds' creative agency Maximum Effort as part of a multi-spot ad campaign for software company Autodesk.
The stunt, which was broken up into the three ads that aired throughout the ceremony on Sunday, featured Ron Perlman, Elizabeth Banks, cinematographer Mandy Walker (Elvis), and visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert (Dune) all paying tribute to Desć and how he's affected their lives before the final twist was revealed.
"What do I think when you mention the name Otto Desć?" Perlman said. "Hollywood legend. Icon." Banks added, "I wouldn't be the filmmaker I am today without Otto Desć."
Maximum Effort The mysterious filmmaker Otto Desćinski as seen in a series of ads during the 2023 Oscars
Snapshots of a brawny man on the cover of magazines and operating behind the camera — either silhouetted or with his face just out of view — were interspersed between the stars' glowing testimonies. At the end of the second clip, the narrator revealed that the spotlight would "finally shine bright" on Desć tonight, with the quartet all congratulating him on his success.
However, in the final clip, Desć's name was announced only for a woman to take the stage in his place. "I think there's been a misunderstanding," she said awkwardly. Behind her, another woman holding Desć's trophy suddenly pivoted and walked off stage. "I use Auto Desk software to make movies look amazing. There is no guy named Otto Desć."
The camera then cuts over to Lambert, who sheepishly slumps further down into his chair after discovering that Otto is notto a real person. When the woman continues her speech, the Autodesk logo is displayed onscreen and the band begins to play. She shouts, "Seriously, you're cutting me off already?"
In a press release, Reynolds, a known trickster who has pulled off many hilarious stunts in the past, said that his company "loves playing with the cultural landscape."
"The Oscars are a major cultural event," he said. "Autodesk has been a secret weapon for Hollywood's artists for decades and what better way to highlight that than to create a fake man of vaguely Germanic descent to receive an award that doesn't exist?"
Reynolds continued, "Huge thanks to my Definitely, Maybe costar Elizabeth Banks, the legendary Ron Perlman, as well as Mandy Walker and Paul Lambert for taking serious stuff so unseriously."
Visit OttoDesc.com for full details on the ads.
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