The Oscar-winning actress and four-time Oscar presenter, Whoopi Goldberg, has come out in defense of the Academy against comments that describe the organization as sexist in light of the controversy over not nominating Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie for best director. and actress, respectively for that year’s gala.
The absence of the two great creators of one of the great cinematographic phenomena of last year has caused great controversy, mainly among fans of the Barbie movie, who consider it a snub and an attempt to minimize the message of the woman in the film. Adding to the controversy is the fact that other actors in the film, such as América Ferrera and Ryan Gosling, have been nominated for Best Actress and Supporting Actor.
During the television program The View, broadcast by Entertainment Weekly, she responded, along those lines, to her colleague Sara Haines’ question about when a nomination can be considered an intentional omission or insult.
“There are no slights. That’s what you have to keep in mind: not everyone gets a prize, and it’s subjective. Movies are subjective. The movies you like may not like the people who vote,” said the acclaimed actress.
Likewise, she assured that the popularity of a movie, actor or actress, even a song, does not guarantee them a place in the awards: “It is possible that the movies you love are not loved by the people who vote,” she concluded.
After the announcement of the Oscar nominations, last Tuesday, January 23, social networks have been flooded with all kinds of comments regarding the lack of nominations for the director and actress. Several personalities also expressed his point of view, one of them was Ryan Gosling, who expressed his disappointment at the omission of his colleagues.
There is no Ken without Barbie and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this historic and globally celebrated film. No recognition would be possible for anyone in the film without their talent, courage, and genius,” he said in a statement.
For her part, Oscar nominee America Ferrera expressed that she was “incredibly disappointed” by the absence of her colleagues in the nominations for the film that became one of the cinematic phenomena of the year and that grossed 1.4 billion.
“Greta has done almost everything a director can do to deserve it. She has created this world, she has taken something that had no inherent value to most people and turned it into a global phenomenon. It’s disappointing not to see it on that list,” she said.
This story was written in Spanish by Daniel Matute in Cultura Colectiva.