Whoopi Goldberg has said there is no such thing as Oscars “snubs” amid the outrage over Greta Gerwig and Margot not being nominated for Best Director and Best Actress for Barbie.
via: Variety
“Barbie” earned a total of eight nominations, including best picture, and Gerwig is a nominee for screenwriting and so is Robbie as one of the film’s producers. And yet, shutting Gerwig out of best director and Robbie out of best actress has resulted in backlash against the Academy.
“The message of all of that is not lost on me, but one question I have — and maybe Whoopi is the only one that can answer this — when does it become a snub?” Sara Haines asked Goldberg on “The View” (via Entertainment Weekly). “I know the film, I know the greatness and the money, but that assumes someone else shouldn’t be in there.”
Goldberg answered by saying “everybody doesn’t win” and “you don’t get everything you want to get.”
“There are no snubs,” said added. “That’s what you have to keep in mind: Not everybody gets a prize, and it is subjective. Movies are subjective. The movies you love may not be loved by the people who are voting.”
Because Gerwig and Robbie were nominated for best director and best actress at the majority of Oscar pre-cursor awards, including the Golden Globes and Critic’s Choice Awards, many pundits thought their Oscar nominations would be a no-brainer, hence the snub outrage. Gerwig also got nominated at the Directors Guild of America awards. Their film’s $1.4 billion gross, the highest earner of 2023, combined with the critical acclaim “Barbie” received also led many to think Gerwig and Robbie wouldn’t be left out of these races.
Ryan Gosling, who earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor thanks to his performance as Ken, spoke out against the Oscars for snubbing Gerwig and Robbie.
“No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius. To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement,” Gosling wrote in a statement. “Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history. Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees. Having said that, I am so happy for America Ferrera and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film.”
America Ferrara, who plays Gloria in “Barbie” and earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress, told Variety that it was “incredibly disappointing” to see Gerwig and Robbie’s names missing from the best director and best actress categories.
“Greta has done just about everything that a director could do to deserve it,” Ferrera explained. “Creating this world, and taking something that didn’t have inherent value to most people and making it a global phenomenon. It feels disappointing to not see her on that list.”
Even Hillary Clinton weighed in on the snubs, sending Gerwig and Robbie a message over X that read: “While it can sting to win the box office but not take home the gold, your millions of fans love you. You’re both so much more than Kenough.”
“Barbie” is still very much in the running for the best picture Oscar (although many pundits agree Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is the frontrunner), while Gerwig is a strong contender for best adapted screenplay alongside co-writer Noah Baumbach. The 2024 Oscars are set for Sunday, March 10.
While Whoopi is a legend in the game and an Oscar winner, sometimes I have to side-eye her whenever she talks about the Oscars, because I get as an Oscar winner and a member of the Academy she can be pretty biased and politically correct in her opinions on anything that has to do with the Academy.
I will say this - while Barbie was a big box office success, I don't feel Margot's performance was as strong as the other actresses nominated in the best actress category. I do feel that Greta should have gotten a nomination.
I do find it quite hilarious that people are complaining about two white women being overlooked, but y'all were real quiet when Taraji was speaking out about pay disparities in Hollywood, and no one is mentioning Barbie star America Ferreira was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar.
So if we're going to talk about female discrimination in Hollywood, all sides needs to be addressed and not only when white women are discriminated against.
I think the real conversation should be will Hollywood continue to give opportunities to women to direct big tentpole films now that Barbie has proven to be a blockbuster success, or will it be business as usual for an industry that continues to act like a white boys country club.
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