How the biggest mistake in Oscars history really happened

It was the biggest stuff-up in Oscars history — and now, remarkable candid photos and new interviews with the key players reveal exactly what went down.

"It doesn't sound very complicated, but you have to make sure you're giving the presenter the right envelope."

Those are the words that will haunt PricewaterhouseCoopers accountant Brian Cullinan for the rest of his life, following the monumental stuff-up at the 2017 Academy Awards that saw

La La Land

briefly called out as the winner of Best Picture before it was actually given to the real winner,

Moonlight

.

Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty at the Oscars. Photo / Getty Images

One year on and just days away from the 90th Academy Awards, we revisit the biggest blunder in Oscars history.

Hollywood veterans Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty reunited 50 years after they starred in Bonnie and Clyde together to present the night's biggest award, for Best Picture.

When time came to read out the winner, Beatty hesitated, faltered — then passed the envelope to Dunaway. She didn't hesitate: "La La Land."

Cheers rang out, and the La La Land team took to the stage, key players from the film taking turns to deliver their speech.

Those who stood closest to the microphone were ecstatic, but further back in the thong, there was a growing disquiet. Harried stage managers could be seen moving through the group, demanding to look at the envelopes. The expressions of those on stage turned from elation to confusion and for some, crushing disappointment.

Interviewed for The Hollywood Reporter this week, some of the key players on stage recalled the fracas.

"I thought there was a police action or something, maybe a terrorist attack happening," said awards consultant Lisa Taback.

"I felt like someone had been hurt. I thought there was some kind of medical situation," said

La La Land

star Ryan Gosling.

'La La Land' producer Jordan Horowitz (centre) stops the show to announce the actual Best Picture winner as 'Moonlight' following a presentation error. Photo / Getty Images

For exactly two minutes and 23 seconds,

La La Land

was the winner of the Best Picture Oscar. As the disquiet behind him grow from a murmur to all-out chaos, it was left to

La La Land

producer Fred Berger, third to speak, to finish his speech with a half-hearted: "We lost, by the way, but, y'know."

The audience didn't know what to think. Fellow producer Jordan Horowitz returned to the microphone and explained the situation more forcefully:

"There's a mistake. Moonlight, you guys won Best Picture. This is not a joke, Moonlight has won Best Picture."

It seemed the audience still didn't believe him so grabbed the correct envelope and held it aloft: "MOONLIGHT. BEST PICTURE."

Cameras captured the shocked reactions from the A-listers present as the cast and crew of Moonlight took to the stage:

happy anniversary pic.twitter.com/nnx0L6VLHt

— n (@virginiaspotts) February 26, 2018

At first, public blame fell to Beatty and or Dunaway: The presenters had one job! How could they get it so wrong?

But in fact, they had been handed the wrong envelope before going on stage.

Partner for accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, Brian Cullinan, and colleague Martha Ruiz were the pair in charge of counting votes for the awards, both standing side of stage and giving sealed envelopes to presenters through the night right before they took to the stage.