And Now for a Distinctly British Take on the Oscars

I was intrigued by your article that raised the question “Why are Brits nominated for Oscars more than Americans?” (“Following the Club Rules,” by Patrick Goldstein, Jan. 11), and I believe the answer is very simple: It is because they are cheaper.

With stars costing around $20 million, producers have to fill up their casts somehow with other people and this is where Brits come in so handy: They seem to be happy working for almost nothing. It’s almost as if they like doing it. Plus, they are extremely keen on piling into costumes and pretending to be Victorians.

The second reason is, of course, they are usually extremely grateful to be nominated and happy to be dragged out and interviewed, whereas back in England they are used to being ignored or asked to leave restaurants.

The third reason is that, as we all know, they rarely win. When all the other nominees are Brits it is much easier not to vote for them and bring the good old, much better paid American actor home. Thus we can formulate the Gwyneth Paltrow rule: Being British will help you get nominated, but it will not help you win unless you are pretending to be British.