Sexy Parisian movie posters featuring Oscar contender Jean Dujardin, star of The Artist, have journalists worried that he may have compromised his wholesome appeal and apparent legitimacy as a dramatic actor. Could this photo cost him Best Actor?

The images—of Dujardin holding a pair of spread female legs—have been called offensive to women by some, and called nothing at all by others, because they are too busy staring into his beautiful, beautiful eyes and beautiful, beautiful stubble. The ads promote Dujardin's upcoming Les Infideles ("The Players"), a satire about philandering husbands. CBS News reports that, in response to media backlash in France, the posters are being taken down. (Don't know what to do with them? Contact me.)

But, lest we forget, as new as fans of Serious Oscar-Worthy Films are to Dujardin, he is equally new to Serious Oscar-Worthy Films. Dujardin is famous for in France for comedy: as the bumbling, hammy lead in the OSS 117 franchise, a secret agent spoof that's a lot more Austin Powers than Tinker Tailor.

It's unclear whether Dujardin's poster will actually have a negative effect on his reputation with the Academy voters—bad publicity is, after all, still publicity—but odds are that it'll soon be forgotten in favor of a new instance of the full-moon loopiness that descends on Hollywood during Oscar season. Remember that last year gave us the otherwise brilliant Melisso Leo's bizarro campaign in support of her Supporting Actress nomination for The Fighter. What's For Your Consideration is generally a whole mess of crazy.

I, for one, am not complaining. Jean Dujardin, you make me wish I took French in high school. Google Translate's lack of dirty words is making my fan mail hard to write.

(Images via Getty and Mars Distribution)