#BAFTAsSoWhite was trending on Twitter after the all-white acting nominations were announced earlier this morning.
Even BAFTA boss, Amanda Berry, had to give in and admit that she was 'very disappointed' over the lack of diversity following Tuesday morning's announcement where not a single actor of colour was honoured in the four major acting categories.
Lupita Nyong’o’s snub for “Us” was a major point of concern for the social justice warriors, who took aim at Margot Robbie for having the chutzpah to be nominated twice in the Supporting Actress category.
One wrote: 'I love Margot Robbie and she deserves a nomination. But giving 2 nods to her when Bafta really needs some damn diversity is such a bad move. Another wrote: 'The #EEBAFTAs are so white that Margot Robbie and Scarlett Johansson are both nominated twice. A third typed: 'So white, they nominated the same white woman twice.'
Other persons-of-color snubbed by BAFTA include Oscar hopefuls Jennifer Lopez in “Hustlers“ (average performance), Cynthia Erivo for “Harriet” (average performance), and Awkwafina for “The Farewell” (good performance).
One fan wrote on Twitter: ’Not a SINGLE person of colour was nominated at the BAFTA’s this year. They could have nominated Lupita for US, Jennifer Lopez for Hustlers, Cynthia for Harriet, or any one of the Parasite actors, they didn’t…” Another wrote: “Well BAFTA nominated no people of color this year… No Erivo, Nyong’o, Awkwafina, Lopez, Shuzhen, Murphy, or any Parasite actors… disappointed… #BAFTASoWhite…” Another person wrote tongue-in-cheekily, “’Here are the all white nominees for Best Actor, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress and Best Actress in a Supporting Role.”
This controversy could very much leak through this coming February’s Oscars, which has a lot of BAFTA voters within its 6000+ voting body. I’d be shocked, at this point, if Lopez and Nyong’o don’t get nominated in their respective categories, but alas, crazier things have happened over the years when it comes Oscar snubs. Much like last year, when think-pieces emerged about how foul and misguided eventual Best Picture winner “Green Book” was, this pushback on the lack of minorities and female directors nominated could most definitely backfire on the ones currently complaining about the lack of inclusivity. Voters don’t want to be told how to think when it comes to choosing their Oscar picks — it’s a primal human instinct, and being bullied into submissive voting is not the way to go. That’s why Donald Trump won in 2016, that’s why Green Book won Best Picture in 2019 and that is, quite possibly, why people of colour may not triumph in the acting categories this year.
Of note, talking about mob mentality, Greta Gerwig and “Little Women” fans caused another backlash this morning when they didn’t see their beloved Ms. Gerwig get nominated in the Best Director category for the critically-acclaimed “Little Women.” Their shtick is starting to get old; don’t they realize that the more they push their agenda in voters’ faces, the less likely Gerwig and her film will be compensated?
Alongside Blanchett, the film features a wildly eclectic ensemble including Dave Bautista, Lily-Rose Depp, Riley Keough, Léa Seydoux, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Chris Pine