We already know that the Oscars have a problem with diversity. The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite trends annually, and #OscarsSoMale has popped up more recently. The assumption that the people voting for the Oscars are racist and not living on the same planet as the rest of us has been floating around, but now we have some pretty solid proof.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, one of the women on the Academy’s actors branch anonymously let it fly about what films she voted for (or didn’t vote for) and why. In the process, she may have just accidentally let us all know how racist attitudes affect the voting process.
We’ll begin with the nominations for Best Picture shall we?
“Little Women was badly acted and confusing, and I have no idea why they cast four British actresses to play American girls.” As a side note, only Emma Watson and Florence Pugh are British. Saoirse Ronan is Irish-American and Eliza Scanlen is an Aussie.
She didn’t like JoJo Rabbit because she’s “unable to laugh about Hitler,” but worst of all thinks that “Parasite is beautifully done, but it didn’t hold up the second time, and I don’t think foreign films should be nominated with the regular films.”
Ah yes of course, the two categories of film for a racist Oscars voter: foreign and regular.
She wanted Quentin Tarantino to win the Best Director category for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, for a very specific reason.
“I want an American director to win. The Oscars is an American thing; English things win BAFTAs and the French vote for the French, and Quentin Tarantino should be honored for a great American movie.”
For Best Documentary Feature, she didn’t like American Factory because “the Chinese boss says “We’re better than them” and they show the American workers as big fat slobs.” She did like Honeyland though, “because it’s a beautiful story about saving the environment that is told so simply, without hammering us over the head like Greta whatever.”
Thunberg is the whatever she’s after there, you know, the 17 year old nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize? Yeah, her.
It’s not a great look into the minds that choose who wins some of the biggest awards in the movie industry. Who knows though, The Academy made their own predictions that included Parasite taking out Best Picture. A foreign film might beat all the regular ones yet.
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