On Tuesday, the nominees for the 94th Academy Awards were announced. While we are rooting for everyone Black as Issa Rae would say, the brush-offs of notable Black actors and filmmakers remain.
For instance, the family of Aretha Franklin was disappointed to learn that actress Jennifer Hudson, who portrayed the Queen of Soul, in the 2021 biopic, Respect, did not get a nomination for her role. Overall, four Black actors earned nominations this year, down from the nine actors last year.
It wasn’t as momentous as what we saw last year, which was really a breakthrough in terms of diversity at the Oscars, but it was definitely noteworthy,” said Darnell Hunt, Dean of Social Sciences at UCLA and author of the Hollywood Diversity Report.
Nonetheless, we celebrate those who were able to get a spot, including stars from another biopic that is all about perseverance, knowing your worth, and never giving up.
‘King Richard’
King Richard, the biopic about Venus and Serena’s dad, Richard Williams, is up for six nominations, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. Will Smith is nominated for Best Actor for his role as Richard and Aunjanue Ellis for Best Supporting actress.
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Beyoncé
Meanwhile, on the music side, Beyonce is already the female artist with the most Grammy wins, now she is hoping to add an Oscar to the list. The 40-year-old Ivy Park boss has scored her first Oscar nomination. Her song, “Be Alive” from the movie, King Richard up for Best Original Song at this year’s Oscars.
Ariana DeBose
Also nominated for Best Supporting Actress is Ariana DeBose for her role in West Side Story. The 2021 reboot musical movie by Steven Spielberg is up for seven Oscars overall. DeBose played Anita, Tony’s love interest. The movie was criticized for its lack of representation and originality to the 1961 film. But as an Afro-Latina actress, the representation for Debose is what the movie got right.
“It is not every day that an Afro-Latina gets to be part of the main event,” DeBose told NPR. “And her identity as an Afro-Latina informs the story. So it’s not really an afterthought. It’s everything about this character.”
Rooting for you Ariana!
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Questlove
Questlove, whose real name is Ahmir Questlove Thompson, is nominated for Best Original Documentary. His directorial debut, Summer of Love is about the 1969’s Harlem Cultural Festival, a six-week musical festival that featured performances such as Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone and Gladys Knight & the Pips, among other ’60s icons. Thompson shared his reaction to the nomination announcement on his Instagram.
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Denzel Washington
Give Denzel his flowers like yesterday! The two-time, Academy Award-winning, veteran actor is up for his 10th for Best Actor for his performance in The Tragedy of Macbeth. The nomination makes him the most-nominated Black actor in Academy Awards history. Last year, Viola Davis claimed the most-nominated Black actress title when she was nominated for Ma Rainey. She previously won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Washington’s Fences,
Washington stars in the black-and-white retelling of the classic Shakespeare drama, with Oscar-winning actress, Frances McDormand costarring as Lady Macbeth.
Watch the trailer for The Tragedy of Macbeth below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptqe7s6pO7g]
The 94th Academy Awards will be produced by Will Packer. It will premiere on Sunday, Mar. 27 on ABC.
