Mark Rylance, center.

The New York Jewish magazine the Jewish Voice is reporting director Steven Spielberg is using back channels to try to influence the jury at the Golden Globe awards.

The magazine cited unnamed sources in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and “Page Six” who were allegedly given intelligence the famous director had obtained a list of the jurists and was attempting to “influence” them to vote for Mark Rylance for best supporting actor. Rylance was the star of Spielberg’s recently released film Bridge of Spies, which recounts behind-the-scenes horse dealing to secure the return of U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers, shot down over Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) and taken prisoner in the USSR on May 1, 1960. Mark Rylance played Rudolf Abel, the Soviet spy exchanged for Powers.

Jewish Voice quoted unnamed sources within the Associated Press as saying “He got their home numbers. He’s schmoozing them, like, ‘Hey, how’s it going.’ It’s the best Christmas gift they ever had.”

Story here.