A fairly unknown actor is nominated for an Oscar, against all odds. British Andrea Riseborough has for many years been skilled and hard-working, but often relegated to supporting roles, while the big stars shine in the foreground. Then she got a big lead role, in the small drama film “To Leslie”, but almost no one has seen it. That may change after Riseborough’s name was read out to everyone’s astonishment as one of the five nominees in the Oscar category for best actress. Many were surprised, and many were furious. Why? FINAL LEADING ROLE: But very few saw Andrea Riseborough’s effort in “To Leslie”. Photo: AP The surprise is due to the fact that it is extremely difficult to be nominated for an Oscar without a large film studio and a strong marketing apparatus behind it. In any case, the awards should in theory go to the year’s best actors and filmmakers. But in practice, behind the brilliant smiles and glittering diamonds on the red carpet, a costly strategic game takes place. The film studios work hard to ensure that the voting members of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hand out the Oscars, will choose to see exactly their film – and like what they see. In the months before the nominations are announced, the actors that the studios are betting on are therefore strikingly often seen – on the couches of talk show hosts, on magazine covers, on large advertising posters in Los Angeles. There are separate screenings and parties with the aspiring filmmakers and actors present. All this costs money. And small, independent films can usually just forget to reach up. But if Andrea Riseborough didn’t have money, she had famous friends who liked her and wanted her to be nominated. They agreed when the team behind “To Leslie” asked for help organizing screenings and creating buzz around the lead role. Gwyneth Paltrow called the film a masterpiece. HELP: Gwyneth Paltrow called “To Leslie” a masterpiece. Photo: MARIO ANZUONI / Reuters Kate Winslet stood on stage with Riseborough and praised her for “perhaps the best female role interpretation I have seen”. There was a kind of grassroots campaign going on in social media, to the extent that the Hollywood elite can be said to have anything to do with grass and roots. And the campaign led. So David gained entry into a gang that is usually only open to goliaths. So far so good, huh? No? ALSO HELPED: Kate Winslet stood on stage with Andrea Riseborough and paid tribute to her performance. Photo: TOBY MELVILLE / Reuters For every actor who gets in, there are actors who are left out. And this year, two women who everyone thought would be nominated in Riseborough’s category were not: Viola Davis for “The Woman King”, and Danielle Deadwyler for “To”. Both are black. The consequence of the omission of Davis and Deadwyler is that the “best actress” category is completely devoid of nominees of African-American background. This fired up the section of the film industry that has long argued that the Oscars overlook black filmmakers and actors. And that, not least, fired up social media. Many pointed out the absurdity of the fact that the only black woman to date to win the Oscar for Best Actress is Halle Berry, who won for “Monster’s Ball” in 2002. OMITTED: Most thought Viola Davis would get her fifth Oscar- nomination for the leading role in “The Woman King”. Photo: RICARDO MORAES / Reuters It was pointed out that Davis and Deadwyler had done everything right – they had been visible, promoted their films, attended all the parties – and yet they could not be nominated because the Hollywood network would rather embrace a white woman . This caused Riseborough’s defenders to retaliate vigorously. For them, part of the problem was that the nominations usually go to the studios’ selected candidates. And that it might not look so good to say that someone who has played the game correctly should be nominated over someone who didn’t have the money to join the game. The interesting thing about the heated debate was that it showed two completely different views of what power is. SURPRISED EVERYONE: When actors Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams announced this year’s Oscar nominations, Andrea Riseborough was the big surprise. Photo: VALERIE MACON / AFP For Andrea Riseborough’s defenders, she is the powerless. She is an overlooked Cinderella who still managed to get into the ball. And she is a symbol that it is not just the money that counts, that it is possible to get recognition from the Oscar Academy if your role makes a strong enough impression. For those angry on behalf of Davis and Deadwyler, it’s the opposite. Riseborough is mighty. She may not have a big account or an expensive PR campaign. But she has powerful white friends—and can move up informal social ladders that wouldn’t be available to a black actor. Social media became a rumor mill, where it was alleged that Riseborough’s supporters had resorted to crude means to promote her. They allegedly contacted Academy members directly and reproduced reviews comparing Riseborough to other female actors, which is prohibited under Academy Awards rules. It became so much that the Academy itself obviously felt that this was damaging its reputation. In any case, they made it clear that they wanted to investigate whether those promoting “To Leslie” had broken any rules. This week they concluded that Riseborough was allowed to retain his nomination, but that they had seen “worrying” activity on social media, which they would take up directly with the senders. And that’s where the matter stands for now. As for the eminent Viola Davis, she has been nominated for an Oscar four times before, winning once, for Best Supporting Actress, in 2017. No one will be shocked if she becomes the second black female actor to win the leading role award. OMITTED: Danielle Deadwyler had a great opportunity to be nominated for an Oscar for the film “Till”, about the horrific murder of a black fourteen-year-old in 1955. Photo: Damian Dovarganes / AP The disappointment is probably greater for Danielle Deadwyler, who is less profiled. She had a rare chance with the role in “Till,” which retells the horrific true story of the murder of fourteen-year-old Emmett Till in 1955. And Andrea Riseborough will forever have an asterisk after her name, placed there by those who believe she was nominated for expense of others. It’s a case about three women who are very good at their jobs, but who nevertheless have a striking number of losers.
ttn-69
Too many white friends – Statement
