The 84th Annual Academy Awards was the event of the season for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. This evening of glitz and glamour was filled with everything from Billy Crystal’s tired and recycled jokes, to an oddly scheduled, but enchanting Cirque du Soleil performance paying homage to film history. But missing from the evening (and perhaps every single Award night before that) was diversity.
Does there need to be Slumdog Millionaire or Precious every year in order to showcase a diverse cast? That shouldn’t have to be the case. Seeing Octavia Spencer tearfully choke through her acceptance speech made me realize just how few and far between these awards went to actors of color.
Starring roles in heavily financed and well-publicized movies (the movies that are recognized by the Academy) are going to the same circle of the acting elite, consisting of the exclusive rotation of Caucasian actors and actresses, with Denzel Washington thrown in for good measure. This is not to say that people like Meryl Streep and George Clooney aren’t deserving of these roles, because they certainly are; it would just be nice to see fresh faces in major roles, getting the credit and acclaim that they absolutely deserve.
There are bound to be plenty of people of color waiting for their chance in the spotlight, but with the same actors and actresses being cast in all the big films, no one will ever get a chance make a name for themselves. While it’s easy to understand why directors cast big names in big movies to attract big audiences, this practice has created an “old-boys’ network” that has effectively shut out many of the newer, more diverse actors and actresses who have begun to emerge as solid artists over the past decade. Someone needs to take a chance on a new face. And who knows? They may just launch the career of Hollywood’s next big star.