Thanks to reader Piers for the link to this video where Lupita Nyong’o and current Best Supporting Actress frontrunner talks about how she learned about race by coming to America. Nyong’o says that she and Steve McQueen were more concerned with finding the truth in the character and not so much with making a broader statement. She said she hoped there would be discussion on a bigger platform. Well, I hate to break it to her but unfortunately here in American, and especially in Hollywood, no one really wants to talk about race.
It is a continual presence in our American lives – something people who don’t live here can’t really understand. Part of the problem once you leave behind the history is Hollywood’s own complicit participation in perpetuating oppression and stereotypes. Things are worse today for people of color and women in Hollywood films than they ever have been. So here’s to hoping discussions will be had and had and had and had until perceptions change.
As it is, with regard to the Oscar race, we’re left with two movies about slavery at all to enter the Best Picture race before 12 Years a Slave – Gone with the Wind in 1939 and Django Unchained in 2012. I mean, really Hollywood? There were vocal protests of the way slaves were portrayed in Gone with the Wind – but those protests mostly went unheard by Hollywood because look at all that money they made. Statues to go around, a big celebration and the template for how Hollywood would tell the story of the Civil War, through the eyes of its white participants.
During a great interview,the wondrous Alfre Woodard makes insightful remarks about knowing if racial barriers have really been broken in Hollywood by how they readily the powers that be embrace a gifted young performer like Lupita Nyong’o.
These particular comments come at about the 10:40 mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztv2KAYU2ZM
Argh!!! I just spent two hours writing this very long piece about race and awards here and was four words away from finishing it when my Safari decided to shut down and I lost everything. I just thought I’d vent here about that. I will try to write it again another day, but sooo frustrating. >:(
I love her, but torn because I loved Sally Hawkins.
I disagree that race is discussed frequently in our country.
What DOES seem to occur is that some racially charged event happens like the Trayvon Martin shooting and people with platforms on the far right and the far left start yelling and accusing everyone on the other side of of being the “real racists.”
Those thoughtful politicians and leaders with more nuanced arguments, are drowned out by the folks at the political extremes. Let’s face it, conflict makes for great TV.
For a few days, the media pays attention until they are distracted by another shinny object. And it turns out that the only people who end up benefiting are those with a vested interest in keeping people at each other’s throats.
The calm, rational, serious and truthful conversation about race is the one thing that DOESN’T happen. So how can one say that it does harm when it’s NEVER been tried?
Also, I don’t see many conservatives – including high profile black conservatives – being hesitant about pointing out the disfunction and self-destructive behaviors of many people in poor black and brown communities. We’re told that it’s just truth-telling and tough love. Okay.
Yet we never see any type of self-reflection or self-criticism by those on the right about racial issues. I was under the impression that conservatives were fallible human beings like everyone else. Yet according to most of the most prominent voices in the conservative movement, they are always right and everyone with a differing opinion is ALWAYS wrong and are the “real racists.”
Way to encourage open dialogue by accusing others of the very label you say you are saddled with.
What’s most disappointing to me is that conservatives of good will are seen by some of us, as being too willing to tolerate and even coddle unapologetic racists within their ranks because they want their votes.
A principled and honorable conservative like Jack Kemp who reached out to people of color, must be revolving in his grave.
I don’t mean to veer for the subject, but have you ever seen somebody so masterfully participate in an Oscar campaign as her? She seems truly invested in promoting the film, seems genuine, she’s sweet and engaging and, well, in terms of fashion, she’s taken all the oxygen in the room. She’s a marvel and it would be ludicrous if anybody else won.
I’m a fan of Jennifer Lawrence’s performance in AH too, but we’re almost talking two different forms of acting. Lawrence gamely pulled off a role in which she was not suited, N’yongo gave life to a woman whose plight might have played very maudlin and unwatchably painful on screen. Her award would be for a dazzling performance, not a political statement.
Catalina Sandino Moreno just landed a role in JC Chandor’s upcoming film with Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain.
Lupita is amazing! I so hope her career takes off.
She’s perfection. A star is born!
http://youtu.be/wXEscPwOpp0
Wish the Academy members are as transfixed by her talent and beauty as I am.
And the film is a masterpiece:
“Steve McQueen has made a gift to the world”
Here in Quebec, the government doesn’t even believe that “race” and, thus, “racism” doesn’t exist–the same rationale that motivated the government in France to strike the word “race” from its constitution recently. And yet, if you’re a non-white person living here, as I am, you are most certainly made to feel that race–and, of course, racism–does exist.
Alan of Montreal, thank you for that perspective. Simply this. Thank you.
Now this page looks less twisted.
I was feeling quite gloomy about how we post an eloquent heartfelt statement from a person of color describing her experience with racial tension and a white guy weighs in to suggest she should just shut up about it.
When I hear someone speak so skillfully and eloquently, as Ms. Nyong’o does here, all I can think is, “How dey do dat?” LOL
”In Hollywood, no one really wants to talk about race.”
Talk about race? Heck, in a year that has a bumper crop of acclaimed black films, you can’t even get Oscar voters to really nominate or recognize more than one of them at a time!
And speaking of Catalina Sandino Moreno, I believe the number of Latin American-born actresses who’ve been nominated for Best Actress is only 3 (the others being Fernanda Montenegro and Salma Hayek), and none of them won. And we’re still waiting for an Asian-American actress to be NOMINATED for Best Actress. (Trivia: Merle Oberon, nominated in 1935 for ”Dark Angel,” was Anglo-Indian and born in Bombay. According to Wikipedia, she obscured her parentage over the years.)
I was figuring J Law would win this year until I saw Nyong’o at the Critics Choice Awards.
How quickly a week goes by!
My absence/frustration doesn’t have anything to do with quirks related to the site’s loading or appearance. My PC periodically gets hit with viruses/malware, and it happens here only.
Our country has spent too much time talking about race, perhaps not in the movies, but everywhere else. At a certain point, I think it does more harm than good.
It was great to see the deluge of multiracial family photos in response to an MSNBC tweet that conservatives wouldn’t like a multiracial Cheerios ad.
great to see the deluge of multiracial family photos in response to an MSNBC tweet that conservatives wouldn’t like a multiracial Cheerios ad.
yes, let’s try to forget about the fact that youtube was forced to close the comments on the first multiracial Cheerios ad last year because the viciousness of thousands of racist comments was so far beyond the usual racist comments on the internet.
all those racist comments must have been coming from the Green Party, not conservatives. That damn green party hates any family whose skin is not green.
oh sorry, I’m not supposed to talk about racism. Just ignore racism and it will soon go away. Like, any day now.
My PC periodically gets hit with viruses/malware and it happens here only.
Tony, what kind of virus protection and anti-malware protection do you use? I have Malwarebytes and Norton installed and I’m never hit with any problems.
I guess my next question would be how do you know you only get malware at Awards Daily? If you’re getting a warning from your net protection software, then you’re protected. If you’re not getting a warning then how do you know there’s a problem?
There’s malware everywhere on the internet. Is there something especially awful about Awards Daily malware that makes it stronger and meaner than all the other malware on the internet? Strange.
Are there ever any incident reports of malware here? Of course there are. This is the internet, and the internet is thick with intrusions. But if you’re seeing warnings here then it actually means the malware here is easily detected and easily blocked. Over the past 6 years since I first found this site, no harm has ever come to my laptop here. Garden variety weeds and annoyances, yes, once in a while — always easy to spot, easy to sidestep. Many times it’s nothing but a stray line of iframe html code — harmless, from a hinky media clips we’ve provided.
There are 25 million google search results about malware. I assure you the vast billion-dollar anti-malware industry did not spring up to protect people from Awards Daily alone.
We do take malware reports really seriously. We’re hyper-vigilant and Sasha spends a lot of money for support services to shield readers from aggravation.
If you really want to be a good net citizen, next time you encounter a problem you should email me and please let me know about the symptoms you see, ok? You know, instead of just turning your back and letting everybody here fend for themselves if you ever see something specifically worrisome, yes? Because just dropping by to say you had problems in the past doesn’t help you and it sure doesn’t help anyone else. That’s just alarmist. You don’t want to be an alarmist, do you?
Rinko Kikuchi has recently starred in Pacific Rim and 47 Ronin, though it’s true we really don’t see Catalina Sandino Moreno anywhere. Nyong’o will definitely go a long way; in fact I think if there’s any black actress who wins more than one Oscar for the first time in Oscar history that’d be Nyong’o. I’m a huge fan so I’m obviously biased but she really has both talent and true star quality going for her. Can’t wait to see Non-Stop just to get a glimpse of her face in it.
I can’t wait to see where Lupita’s career goes from here. I’m so happy that Gabourey Sidibe finds work five years after Precious, but it’s sad that we never see Rinko Kikuchi or Catalina Sandino Moreno anywhere. They were so good in their respective movies. Here’s hoping Ms. Nyong’o has a wonderful career ahead and she better win on Oscar night!
This girl is TOO intelligent…will she last in Hollywood 🙂
That was nice to see. She’s so eloquent and unique. I want to see her up on the stage on Oscar night accepting her well deserved award. Great Vogue video, now let’s see if they have the guts to give Lupita her own cover.
Dear Academy… if nothing else, please give this incredible woman the Oscar for her amazing performance.