The devastating story behind Tatum O Neil’s Oscar win

Posted On March 12, 2025March 12, 2025

Paper Moon is one of those perfect old Hollywood films that never fails to lift my spirits and warm my heart, remaining a testament to the magic of filmmaking and the power of simple stories. Directed by Peter Bogdanovich in 1973, the film follows a conman and bible salesman who finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter. Together, they form a con team and embark on a journey all over Kansas. Ryan O’Neal famously stars in the film, who was one of the most influential figures within the New Hollywood movement, with leading roles in films like What’s Up Doc, Love Story, and The Driver.

However, while he attempted to reach critical success with his role in Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon, wanting to break free from his himbo persona and reputation as a less serious actor, he never quite reached the glittering heights that he wanted to, something that became a source of tension in his relationship with his daughter, Tatum, who famously starred alongside him in Paper Moon.

Ryan O’Neal became associated with iconic characters and one-liners that he reprised over the course of his career, but it is perhaps his role as Moses Pray and his wonderful on-screen chemistry with his daughter Tatum that continues to define his legacy. When casting the film, Bogdanovich needed to find a child actor who would be able to stand their own next to Ryan, and Tatum seemed like the perfect addition to the cast, given that she already had a rapport with her father. And so, the O’Neals were given leading roles in the film, making for one of the most delightful and charismatic father/daughter dups that had ever been realised on screen.

But while it is a sheer joy to watch them interact, it is truly Tatum who steals the show, dazzling audiences with her cheeky one-liners and determined business tactics as she smokes cigarettes, orchestrates mix-ups between the grown-ups, and dashes up and down the hotel stairs in her endearingly oversized dungarees. She is a natural-born performer, outshining her father with charisma and boundless enthusiasm. Her performance was impossible to ignore during awards season, making her the youngest-ever performer to win an Academy Award for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ in 1974.

While you’d imagine that most parents would be happy for their child upon winning such an award, Tatum later spoke about the rift that if caused between herself and her father, with Ryan being jealous of her critical acclaim and being resentful of her success. When discussing this, Tatum said, “He loved me, but then hated me, because I won the Academy Award, weird shit happened. It kind of went in the wrong direction to happiness”.

Tatum also alleged that her father punched her after finding out she was nominated for Paper Moon, and he wasn’t. The pair had a long and troubling relationship since this time, with Taum becoming estranged from her father for many years before his death in 2023, in which she learned that he had not included her in his will.

The story of Tatum and Ryan O’Neal is a bizarre stain on what appears to be such a light-hearted and glorious film, capturing the insidious dichotomy at the heart of Hollywood in which such a wonderful film could be made under such devastating circumstances, with a once-in-a-generational talent being deterred from a career in the business due to her early experiences with fame and competition.