"Almost face planted": Oscar viewers shocked as Elizabeth Banks trips on the stage, presents an award with Cocaine Bear

Elizabeth Banks announced the Oscar winner for the Best Visual Effects category with a very special guest tonight.

Banks, who directed the film Cocaine Bear, arrived on stage along with someone in a full bear costume. However, she tripped halfway to the mic and blamed it all on the bear. She also spoke in a hoarse voice and said:

"Visual effects — sorry my voice — can enhance any story and are an incredible tool for filmmakers like me. Without visual effects, Cocaine Bear would have been some actor in a bear suit, probably on cocaine."

Cocaine Bear is a film based on a real-life incident where a 175-pound black bear consumed a massive dose of cocaine and caused a lot of chaos. While presenting on stage, the bear kept irritating Elizabeth, prompting her to say:

"What are you doing? Stop it. Are you trying to score right now? You need to wait ’til the after party like everybody else."

Fans were shocked to hear Banks' rough voice and were surprised to see that she almost "face planted" on her way to the mic:

Avatar: The Way of Water took home the award in the visual effects category, winning against The Batman, All Quiet on the Western Front, Top Gun: Maverick and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

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Fans react to Elizabeth Banks tripping on the Oscar stage

Before presenting the award, Elizabeth introduced all of the films in the visual effects category. She said:

"Avatar is visual effects. All Quiet on the Western Front? That’s visual effects. It was a real war, but real visual effects. Batman flying around — that’s not real. Tom Cruise flying around is real, but also, visual effects. Maverick actor famous for performing his own stunts. Wakanda? Wakanda is totally real."

Fans watching the Oscar ceremony found Elizabeth's jokes funny. While some were concerned about her, several netizens felt that the moment was enjoyable, and took to social media to post about it.

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What did Elizabeth Banks wear at the Oscar award ceremony?

Elizabeth Banks decided to avoid a straight-column dress after a previous incident which involved her to do “penguin-waddling” on stage and caused her to almost fall. This time, she worked with stylist Erin Walsh to create a Vivienne Westwood bespoke gown, whose original designer died in December 2022.

Banks liked the color scheme and the shape of the dress. Speaking about the long train, Elizabeth mentioned:

"It’s also got an incredible, really interesting train, but the train comes off of a shoulder piece. It doesn’t train like from any normal spot on a dress, which is really fun and exciting."

Elizabeth's makeup for the Oscar ceremony was done by Kara Yoshimoto Bua, whereas her hair was done by Clayton Hawkins.