It’s starting to look a like nothing has progressed in Hollywood.
Right now, Gold Derby — which aggregates predictions from Oscar prognosticators — is telling a dismal story for inclusion.
All of their twenty pics for possible Oscar nominations — lead actor and actress, supporting actor and actress — are white.
Not a single one of them is Black or a person of color.
One is Asian.
That’s it.
It was just a few years ago, in 2015-16 that Hollywood was accused of ignoring Black actors.
Indeed, no Black actress has won Best Actress since Halle Berry in 2002. That same year, Denzel Washington won Best Actor. There wasn’t another until this year, when Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor.
Over the years, women like Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer have picked up supporting awards. But again, no leads.
Back in 2015, the Motion Picture Academy immediately started adding hundreds of women and people of color, hoping that would bring about change. But it seems like it doesn’t matter. It all has to do with who’s making and greenlighting movies. And those decisions are not going to minorities.
Of this year’s possible directors, by the way, the only female whose name has come up is Olivia Wilde, for “The Invite.” And that’s not a sure thing by any means.
The only potential Black movie that might get a Best Picture nomination? “Michael,” about Michael Jackson. But it would be in the unofficial “second group,” numbers 6 through 10, and not a serious contender. None of the actors seems to have a shot of making it in.
