You might think that Hollywood’s leading men would have their choice of Oscar dates, from actresses to supermodels - well, they do. So why then are Bradley Cooper, Jared Leto and Michael Fassbender choosing to have none other than their mum on their arm for the big night?

Jared Leto and mother Constance Jared Leto and mother Constance

You can't help but be endeared to Jared Leto’s mum after viewing her reaction to the news that she’d be accompanying her son down the Oscar’s red carpet on Sunday. But should she really be so surprised? Well not really, considering Leto is following in the footsteps of fellow nominees Michael Fassbender and Bradley Cooper by brining his mum as his date.

Though it might seem tempting to go the traditional route of bringing a model as your date for the red carpet, taking your mother instead has so many more advantages. Number one, it takes the attention away from your personal life. Take Jared Leto for example, in the past month he’s been linked to fellow Oscar nominee Lupita Nyong'o and even Miley Cyrus. Actually it seems Jared is so hot right now he can’t even go near a woman without a pesky romance rumour happening. But by taking his mother Constance (who by the way is stunning) Jared avoids any further romance complications for at least the duration of the ceremony.

Michael Fassbender mumMichael Fassbender and his mother

Its also a good idea if you have a girlfriend but perhaps aren't ready yet to make the leap to being a bona fide red carpet couple. Take Bradley Cooper and his girlfriend, model Suki Waterhouse. Yes he took her to the BAFTAs and went to see her during London Fashion Week, but this is the Oscars. It’s like the prom of Hollywood and the last thing you’d want is to be remembered forever on your big night is turning up alongside someone who turned out not to be the ‘one’.

OK, so maybe it's a bit cynical to think that an actor would take his mother as his Oscar date in order to distract from his personal life, after all there are other reasons. Such as its probably actually really nice to have a caring, supportive family member alongside you when you go through what’s got to be one of the most nerve wrecking evenings of your career. Whether you win or lose, a mother’s support is certainly a great asset on Oscar night.

Bradley CooperSorry Suki, Bradley's bringing his mum to the Oscars instead

Perhaps the main reason you should want to have your mum on your arm come Oscar night, is simply to do something nice for the woman who should be the most important in your life. After all, she raised you and probably supported you when you were waiting for call backs from commercial auditions. This is perhaps best exampled by Jared Leto who previously described why he likes taking his mum to red carpet events so much, saying “the best part of these opportunities to stand up and say something is to be able to thank the people who have believed in you for so long. I could spend every single one of these events thanking my mother. She's the best.’’ Aww, you see the other good reason is that bringing your mum makes you look like a really, really nice guy.