"Oscar has always welcomed people of color to present awards and entertain audiences, but we rarely receive recognition for our artistic achievements. Shouldn't people of color unite and boycott the ceremony?"
This was the statement publicly made by Jada Smith, wife of Will Smith, after the latest Oscar nominations were announced.
She was not alone. Many well-known Black actors also targeted this year's Oscars.
"I'm very disappointed by the lack of diversity in this year's nominations. It makes me think of unconscious bias in society and the cultural prestige we should hold. The Oscars shouldn't just be a benchmark of modern society's art; it should reflect the diversity of the best art. I support colleagues who call for change and fulfillment of promises."
Black actors and the Oscars instantly became a hot topic in society.
Perhaps due to changes brought by Duke, this year's Oscars differed from previous years' nominations. Some fans may recall that Oscar nominations had once sparked accusations of "racial discrimination," when no Black actors were nominated in major acting categories, causing widespread anger among Black performers.
After this year's nominations were released last Thursday, Black stars were again ignored, causing another public outcry.
For two consecutive years, in the four major acting categories—Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress—covering twenty nominees, all were White. In the U.S., where cries of "racial discrimination" were deafening, such selections, whether intentional or not, sparked resentment among some people.
Many Black actors even openly stated they would boycott the Oscars.
Some opportunists in Hollywood, such as politically active figures like George Clooney, also spoke out.
"Looking back ten years, the Oscars were more commendable. How many African Americans were nominated back then? I think choosing who to nominate isn't the main issue; the important thing is how many minority actors are available in films, especially high-quality ones."
Indeed. Nominating Black actors sometimes seemed like political correctness. The Academy had previously, under such political correctness, awarded Oscars to actors like Halle Berry, whose merit was questioned.
Although Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs issued a statement on the lack of diversity this year, saying: "I want to acknowledge the outstanding performances of the nominees this year. While celebrating their extraordinary achievements, I am also saddened and frustrated by the lack of inclusivity. This is a difficult but important conversation. It is time for significant change. The Academy is taking major steps to alter our membership. In the coming days and weeks, we will review membership qualifications to make next year's Academy more diverse."
However, many others were unconvinced.
Fellow Black actress Jenny Hubert criticized Jada Smith in an interview: "There are so many things in the world you are unaware of. Some struggle for survival, some starve, some are in debt. What you care about is the Oscars and a few little golden statues. That's not so important. And why call for a boycott of the Oscars? Is it really for fairness? Or is it just because Will Smith was left off the nomination list?"
Oscar-winning Best Supporting Actress Whoopi Goldberg directly criticized the boycott approach in a talk show: "Want to boycott the Oscars? Don't watch movies you're not represented in—that's the real boycott. Every year there's such controversy. It really annoys me."
That Black actors didn't receive Oscar nominations seemed almost taken for granted. Many people were disgusted by this perceived entitlement.
"Why separate people? Black actors, regardless of role or performance, are expected to receive Oscar nominations…" British actress Charlotte Rampling said in a radio interview. "This is basically racial discrimination imposed on White actors!"
Racial discrimination is an extremely sensitive topic in the U.S. Since Halle Berry's groundbreaking win as the first Black Best Actress, Black actors have steadily received nominations and Oscars. Over more than a decade, this has created a peculiar mindset among some: whether qualified or not, receiving an Oscar nomination is taken as deserved, and not receiving one is seen as racial discrimination.
This mindset is already quite evident in certain Black groups in Hollywood.
Regarding calls for Black actors to boycott the Oscars, 80-year-old Clint Eastwood could not hold back, mocking them for having fragile hearts: "I guess many people must have cried!"
Given Duke's current status, reporters naturally asked him this question.
Although never publicly reported, keen observers in Hollywood noticed that Duke did not favor Black actors. In all his films, aside from Will Smith being a lead in Independence Day, no Black actor became a lead. Many of his casts included Asian, Latin, or Slavic actors—but not a single Black actor.
To date, no mainstream media has reported or criticized Duke for this, as it was regarded as normal by media standards.
"I don't know about this Oscar controversy. I only know that the Academy has thousands of members, most of whom have never been nominated for an Oscar."
Facing microphones, Duke expressed his viewpoint directly, though carefully to avoid offense: "I voted for several Black actors. I regret they weren't nominated. But to claim we are racists because of this—I feel deeply offended."
In some ways, the Oscars for actors are like parents with minor children; many problems result from prior indulgence.
Sometimes, low self-esteem makes people think others' actions are meant to belittle them.
Of course, Duke would never say this aloud.
"Personally, performance should be the only criterion for Oscar selection. Actors must give good performances in their work, not receive extra favors simply for being Black. Otherwise, it's unfair to everyone."
Here, Duke jokingly included himself and Leonardo: "I thought The Avengers should earn me a Best Director nomination. But the reality is different. Not being nominated has its perks—I don't have to travel far and sit there, which is exhausting, and I'd have to clap with Leonardo."
The biggest change in this year's Oscars appeared here: Leonardo DiCaprio received a Best Actor nomination for The Great Gatsby, taking the spot many expected would go to Black actor Denzel Washington.
In fact, influential industry media like Vanity Fair and The Hollywood Reporter published articles promoting Leonardo.
For instance, after an interview and during filming breaks, Duke read The Hollywood Reporter, which had a slightly exaggerated review—if Leonardo didn't win the little golden statue, all of Hollywood would go crazy!
Actors, stars, producers, environmentalists, social activists… Leonardo DiCaprio was already a winner in life. Yet his list of achievements still lacked an Oscar statuette.
This year's Oscar marked Leonardo's fourth nomination for Best Actor. In the previous three, he had narrowly missed winning, so that every media report on the Oscars would include the question, "Why can't Leonardo win an Oscar?"
After receiving this year's nomination, Leonardo himself said in an interview that winning was completely beyond his control: "That's not why you make films. You love making movies. Looking back on your life, you'll be proud of the many works you've done. Being recognized by your peers is like the cherry on top of the cake—I've already done everything I should. Whether it's worth watching, worth discussing, or worth awarding depends entirely on you."
See, he is very clear-headed and calm.
Many stars are troubled by privacy invasions brought by fame, but Leonardo thinks very clearly: "If I wanted to leave acting, I would have done so long ago. I love making films. I feel very lucky. So I'm willing to sacrifice a lot of private life for it, because it's absolutely worth it. I don't want to complain about the troubles of fame, because I have the freedom to stop whenever I want."
"How far is he from the little golden statue this time?"
This was the last line of the commentary, but how far he really is, perhaps only insiders know.
Duke and Leonardo have always had a good relationship. Every awards season that Leo participates in, Duke has been a steadfast supporter of Leonardo DiCaprio, and this time was no exception. In prior communications, Duke also knew Leo's latest updates.
Looking at Leonardo's achievements this awards season, from the end of last year until now, he had consecutively won Best Actor awards from the Chicago Film Critics Association, Boston Film Critics Association, Washington D.C. Film Critics Association, Critics' Choice Movie Awards, Golden Globe Awards (Drama), among other major prizes.
Most of his wins were from critics' awards.
If this were twenty years ago, these awards would have strongly indicated that Leonardo was very likely to win an Oscar.
However, the influence of critics today has declined—not just in words, nor only in the summer season. In this era where everyone can be a critic, professional critics who are not Academy members have less impact on the Oscars.
Leonardo is very far from the little golden statue this time!
His biggest competitor is Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln. Not only is he of Jewish descent, but he is also the type of actor most favored by the Academy and has never appeared in a commercial film…
Most importantly, at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Leonardo had already lost to Daniel Day-Lewis.
Apart from casting his own votes and trying to get votes from Academy members on his team for Leonardo, Duke's biggest preparation was to consider how to comfort—or jokingly tease—Leo once again after he runs the race and loses.
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