With another year of Oscars nominees lacking in representation, an exclusive THR analysis of membership data reveals exactly what has been achieved (and what hasn’t) since OscarsSoWhite
When Issa Rae and John Cho announced the Oscar nominations Jan. 13, the duo seemed to embody many of the qualities the Academy has been striving for over the past four years — to become a younger, more gender-balanced, less white group that more closely mirrors cinema's global audience.
Despite these efforts at diversifying, the organization began from a place of such whiteness and maleness that the overall composition of the Academy — and in many ways its tastes and choices — are evolving much more slowly. And even if the group continues to invite members at this current, far more inclusive rate than it has historically, the Academy would never be representative of the U.S.
These new members include people like Sony executive vp and head of TriStar Pictures Nicole Brown, who was among the 29 percent of the executive branch's invitees of color, and Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro, who was among the 12 percent of Latinx newcomers to the actors branch and the 39 percent of new Academy members from outside the U.S. .
The Academy acknowledged that it has backed away from a controversial aspect of its initial proposal — the plan to move some members to emeritus status, which would have sped up the change in the group's overall composition but was called ageist by some members. "It was an attempt to make sure that the membership that was voting was still active in the actual industry," says Muñoz. "We're not interested in looking at that anymore.
Reign points to the limited spectrum of movies the group honors when it comes to stories that aren't about white men, noting that Lupita Nyong'o won an Oscar for her supporting role in 2013'sbut wasn't nominated for her contemporary, Jekyll and Hyde-esque role as a wife and mother in this year's. Meanwhile, Erivo's nomination this year is for her performance as Harriet Tubman.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Did the Oscars just predict the Oscars?And the Oscar goes to… Well, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences appears to have some thoughts. On…
Read more »
See the BAFTA Awards winners — and what they could tell us about this year's OscarsWe will be updating this list throughout the day, so keep checking back for all the winners.
Read more »
This Year’s Oscars Gift Bag Includes CBD Simple Syrup and a 12-Day Yacht ExperienceA typical party gift bag might include some candy and baked goods, or the occasional handy toiletry—for the Academy Awards, it’s an entirely different story.…
Read more »
Gabrielle Union Invited a Student Who Was Told to Cut His Locs to the Oscars'When we heard about your story…we knew that we had to get involved.'
Read more »
After BAFTA Adds Award for Casting Directors, Will the Oscars Follow?Insiders say the inclusion of the new category (the first in 21 years) is long overdue and puts pressure on the Academy to do the same: 'It's a milestone for our community.'
Read more »
Oscars: 10 Things to Know About Best Picture Nominee 'Joker'Todd Phillips' take on the nihilistic Crown Prince of Crime, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy and Brett Cullen is up for 11 Academy Awards.
Read more »