Maybe Danielle Deadwylerâs Oscars snub can be partially attributed to Andrea Riseboroughâs com-from-behind nomination. For the star of Till, though, she believes her shutout from the Academy has something to do with the âresidual effectsâ of systemic racism that has a âlingering effect on the spaces and the institutionsâ in todayâs world. She said as much in an episode of the podcast Kermode & Mayoâs Take on February 9 when asked about Till director Chinonye Chukwuâs January 24 Instagram post saying the filmâs lack of nominations reflected âunabashed misogyny towards Black women.â âWeâre talking about people who perhaps chose not to see the film,â Deadwyler said on the podcast. âWeâre talking about misogynoir. It comes in all kinds of ways. Whether itâs direct or indirect, it impacts who we are.â The Station Eleven star puts on the onus on white people, who are privileged by this system, to fix it. âI think the question is more on people who are living in whiteness, white peopleâs assessment of the spaces they are privileged by,â she said. After the #OscarSoWhite controversy in 2015, the Academy took steps to diversify its voting body.
This was the second time Deadwyler spoke up about systemic racism in Hollywood this week. âCinematic history is 100-plus years old,â she told BBC Radio 4âs Womanâs Hour on February 7. âI would dare say the system is deeply, deeply impacted by systemic racism that has shaped our country.â She continued, âAnd if weâre still dealing with systemic racism in this country that is leading us to the loss of a Tyre Nichols, that carries us from the loss of Emmett, there is a trickle-down effect of how racism impacts our lives â from the educational system to the film industry.â Meanwhile, The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood made similar comments in an open letter published by The Hollywood Reporter earlier this week. Letâs hope theyâre giving the Academy something to think about.