Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne and other white people kindly welcome you to the whitest Oscars since 1998. Yes, unfortunately, you read that right: Without a nod for David Oyelowo announced this morning (see white person Brad Pitt for help on that pronunciation) 2015 will be the worst year for diversity in Hollywood since the 70th annual ceremony.
This is especially troubling when you consider that last year's Oscars was a banner year with a Best Supporting Actress award for Lupita Nyong'o (and Steve McQueen taking home the Best Picture title). As Chris Rock can tell you, there are still far too few people of color in the industry, but at least one non-white person has been nominated each year in the four acting categories since the last whitest Oscars ever nearly two decades ago. Here's the whole list:
Predictions that this would be a particularly pale year sprung up after the Gold Derby predictions were posted as a preemptive warning for what we could expect from the "overwhelmingly white" group of males that comprises the Academy.
"#OscarNoms No female directors, screenwriters, or cinematographers. No actors of color. #diversity," CNN's David Daniel tweeted after the nominations were announced.
If there's a lesson to be learned here it's that we have a long way to go before we can truly talk about progress being made. Also: this sucks.
This is especially troubling when you consider that last year's Oscars was a banner year with a Best Supporting Actress award for Lupita Nyong'o (and Steve McQueen taking home the Best Picture title). As Chris Rock can tell you, there are still far too few people of color in the industry, but at least one non-white person has been nominated each year in the four acting categories since the last whitest Oscars ever nearly two decades ago. Here's the whole list:
| 2014 | Lupita Nyong'o, Barkhad Abdi and Chiwetel Ejiofor |
| 2013 | Denzel Washington and Quevenzhane Wallis |
| 2012 | Demian Bichir, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer |
| 2011 | Javier Bardem |
| 2010 | Gabourey Sidibe, Monique, Penelope Cruz, Morgan Freeman and Hailee Steinfeld |
| 2009 | Taraji P. Henson |
| 2008 | Ruby Dee and Javier Bardem |
| 2007 | Forest Whitaker, Will Smith, Djimon Honsou, Penelope Cruz, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi |
| 2006 | Terrence Howard |
| 2005 | Jamie Foxx, Don Cheadle, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Sophie Okonedo, Morgan Freeman and Jamie Foxx |
| 2004 | Djimon Honsou, Ken Watanabe, Benicio del Toro, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Keisha Castle-Hughes |
| 2003 | Salma Hayek and Queen Latifah |
| 2002 | Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Halle berry and Ben Kingsley |
| 2001 | Javier Bardem and Benicio del Toro |
| 2000 | Denzel Washington, Michael Clarke Duncan |
| 1999 | Fernanda Montenegro |
| 1998 | ... no one |
Predictions that this would be a particularly pale year sprung up after the Gold Derby predictions were posted as a preemptive warning for what we could expect from the "overwhelmingly white" group of males that comprises the Academy.
"#OscarNoms No female directors, screenwriters, or cinematographers. No actors of color. #diversity," CNN's David Daniel tweeted after the nominations were announced.
If there's a lesson to be learned here it's that we have a long way to go before we can truly talk about progress being made. Also: this sucks.
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