Faye Dunaway breaks silence on Oscars mix-up

It was the moment that will go down in Oscars infamy.

Millions watched in horror as the cast and crew of La La Land were forced to hand over the Best Picture statue to the Moonlight team, after presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty incorrectly announced the winner.

Two months on, Dunaway has finally broken her silence about the catastrophic event.

In an interview on NBC Nightly News, the 76-year-old explained that she had thought her co-presenter was joking when he paused before showing her the Best Picture winner envelope.

The Bonnie and Clyde actress added that she assumed it was a theatrical ploy.

"I thought he was joking. I thought he was stalling. Warren's like that, he kind of holds the power ... but it's part of his charm. I read the name of the film on the card."

Along with the audience, Dunaway claims she was "completely stunned."

"You don't know what has happened," she said. "I [felt] very guilty - I thought I could have done something, surely, why couldn't I have seen Emma Stone's name on the card?"

The two PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants in charge of handing over the winner's envelopes have since been stood down, although the Academy has announced it will continue using the accounting firm for future ceremonies.