Oscars Stage ‘Malfunctions’ While Ben Stiller Presents Award: Watch the Fun Bit From ABC’s Broadcast

Always up for a laugh, Ben Stiller experienced some Oscars stage “malfunctions” while presenting the award for Production Design.

The malfunctions started happening before Stiller even made his way to the center of the stage. After being called to the stage twice, the actor appeared to be dealing with a constantly moving stage. It then stopped as he was nearly halfway up on stage.

“Production design,” Stiller began as the audience started laughing. “Production designers bring the visual world of a screenplay to life. It is a field where the slightest miscalculation could lose the trust of the audience and humiliate the performers on screen.” 

He then paused as the audience continued to laugh. The platform he was standing on then started to move. “Production designers,” he continued as he rose to the stage. “Plan meticulously, creating sketches that illustrate a film’s mood and atmosphere.”

However, the stage stopped moving when Stiller was 3/4 of the way up on stage. The platform then started to move back down. 

“With their strong knowledge of color theory and architecture,” he said as the platform moved back down and climbed up on stage. “They handle everything from minor visual details to massive technical challenges, collaborating with the director to significantly impact the final image on screen.” 

As the platform went down again, Stiller started talking really fast as if he was unsure he would get his entire speech out. After disappearing from the stage, Stiller reappeared and presented the award, which went to Wicked‘s Nathan Crowley (Production Design) and Lee Sandales (Set Decoration).