Alfonso Cuarón won the Directors Guild of America award for “Gravity” on Saturday night, but he was the only nominee to have skipped the annual DGA Symposium earlier in the day, during which the directors talk in depth about making their films.
A spy said Cuarón missed it because he’d promised one of his sons he’d celebrate his eighth birthday with him in Italy.
The honor is usually seen as a strong indicator of who will win the Best Director Oscar.
The other DGA nominees, who all participated in the symposium, included Steve McQueen, David O. Russell, Martin Scorsese and Paul Greengrass.
“The votes were already in,” explained one insider of how Cuarón’s decision to sit out couldn’t affect his getting the award.”
But the source said it could still be seen by some members “as a snub.”
However, “he had been campaigning at everything else, and promised his son he’d be there on his birthday.” Family man Cuarón wrote “Gravity” with another of his sons, Jonás.