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In conversations that begin after dinner and a few drinks at Bollywood parties, talk about teases and flirts often crop up. For those who aren’t yet intoxicated, there’s definite shock in the casualness with which leading female stars and upcoming female actors are ritually mocked. The terminology used to describe female actors carries inbuilt prejudice and mockery, almost normalising its inherent character assassination — for instance, starlet, bombshell, diva, wannabe. To any regular woman, or person, this can be shocking. But in show-business, it’s par for the course. Top heroines have emerged from this kind of casual mudslinging, without once commenting or reacting to it in public (or even at social events). Essentially, women being abused has become silently accepted in cinema and showbiz here in India.
Somewhat similarly, only on a much grander scale, the Golden Globes this year became a reflection of this strange reality of Hollywood and TV. In America today, the bizarre and sane coexist in an evenhanded manner. So, when women and men wore black in support of victims of sexual abuse and for the #TimeIsUp Campaign, the Golden Globes inadvertently played host to a changing, new culture of speaking out in Hollywood. The Globes earned criticism for the omission of women from the key Best Director category, and for lesser nominations for Black talent. A second aspect that leading film and TV awards come under fire for is the minimal space for Hispanic and Asian-American talent. Like director Jordan B Peele, of Get Out fame, stated, nominations were random as his horror drama got nominated in the Best Director (Comedy or Musical) category.
Jordan Peele himself on Get Out being nominated as a comedy: pic.twitter.com/rMCSJhWnUN
— ✨new year new weave✨ (@possiblydana) January 8, 2018
Rancorous critique played out even as the Golden Globes set up for a star-studded night, with Hollywood royalty in attendance. Critics, women and naysayers might voice their opposition regularly, but for a major awards night, the key people to please are those who hold the keys to success — the cabal of ageing, mostly white males running studios in Hollywood. This clique is what matters finally, and Harvey Weinstein featured prominently in this close-knit group (as did some others named and shamed by #MeToo).
One could say that giving Oprah Winfrey the Cecil B DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement, the first Black Woman to win this honour, as an attempt at reconciliation by the Hollywood Foreign Press. Yet Oprah’s loaded speech with political undertones has built it’s own corner stone in the sexual harassment debate.
Oprah’s emphasis on the ‘Time Is Up’ slogan basically placed her directly against the dominant clique of all powerful males in Hollywood. Question is: does this indicate certain change and better treatment for women in show-business? Or is this just another shift in power within a highly influential industry? Does Oprah taking a stand on a major Hollywood platform with high visibility reflect a united standpoint for Black actors and talent in cinema?
“I want all the girls watching here and now to know that a new day is on the horizon!” she said. “And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women ... and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say, ‘Me too,’ again.”
~ Oprah Winfrey, Cecil B DeMille lifetime award speech
Oprah’s emotive monologue, which was received with rousing applause and has led to speculations of her running for president, equated the unfairness treatment that women and black people face in showbiz. With phrases like ‘brutally powerful men’ to refer to those accused of sexual abuse, she quoted history to liken their mindset to those of violent racists from the ‘40s. Drawing from the past and present, she artfully established how power and prejudice hurts and silences both women and Black talent in cinema. She also tackled resigned acceptance of the ‘system’, giving a call to action with the ‘Time Is Up’ slogan.
Black talent rules music and has carved a populist, significant space in western music, TV and cinema. Empire , Black-ish , How to Get Away with Murder , Power , Insecure , Queen Sugar reign on TV. No point in wasting space here naming the musicians. As for cinema, black protagonists and a dominant history of suffering of the Black people have emerged as significant narratives. This year, Girls Trip , Mudbound and Strong Island have become popular for their chronicles of the Black experience.
Yet, at mainstream Hollywood awards, Black actors, filmmakers and Black-centric stories often make it to nominations but not to wins. The experience is similar for Hispanic and Asian-American cinema and TV talent. Case in point , the Oscar Academy voting panel has around 90% white members, the Screen Actors Guild has around 70%. Case in point, Tracee Ellis Ross’ Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Series in 2017 was the first time in 35 years that a black actress won in the category. Case in point, non-white actors being accorded a very small percentage of top movie roles. Case in point, #OscarsSoWhite.
In the case of African-American talent, this discrepancy becomes more visible as they form a sizeable part of narratives and of people employed in film and TV. Hollywood mainstream awards, like the Golden Globes, SAG and the Academy Awards, mark a rite of passage into the golden circle of Hollywood moguls. This male-dominated clique also peddles influence to snag awards for films that they studios make. An obvious fact, often referred to on social media and by activists, it has built skepticism within ethnic minorities about these awards.
Some of this skepticism was evident in Aziz Ansari’s reaction when he won Best Actor (TV in a Comedy or Musical), making him the first Asian-American winner at the Globes . He was surprised, as he didn’t expect to win at all, despite his show gaining cult popularity.
Aziz Ansari won Best Actor in a Comedy! I was in shock and I think he wasn’t expecting it either. Not because he didn’t deserve it (he absolutely did) but, cuz racism. #GoldenGlobespic.twitter.com/NM168JPFHr
— Nancy Wang Yuen (@nancywyuen) January 8, 2018
The experience of women in Hollywood is not very different. In fact, it’s often worse. Frances McDormand’s acceptance speech at the Globes this year indicates their quiet desperation: “Trust me, the women in this room tonight are not here for the food. We are here for the work.” McDormand, like established stars Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Salma Hayek, are part of the golden circle. Yet some of them admit to having faced harassment or abuse from powerful producers and filmmakers. They rub shoulders with these men, even as they ‘manage’ uncomfortable situations smartly so as not to impact their careers. The #MeToo Campaign has raised this crucial question of consent. Otherwise, harassment seems to have been somewhat acceptable for all women in Hollywood.
Oprah’s broad-brush speech stands out for its anti white-male-power stance. Having built her career brick by brick, and having earned enough influence to shape opinions on politics and life for America, Winfrey, or the Big ‘O’, is a power centre in and of herself. Therefore, her speech at the Golden Globes brings the #MeToo Campaign to the mainstream for America’s public and her legions of fans. True, Oprah is on friendly terms with all those who matter in showbiz. Like Seal points out, calling her ‘sanctimonious’, she has probably known powerful men like Harvey Weinstein closely. Seal’s sarcasm also reflects the fragmented nature of Black-American showbiz talent; their voices are not always unified. Even if Oprah’s speech, in its dramatic and generic tone, lumps issues concerning women and African-American together, her stand gives the conversation against abuse and unfair treatment power and strength. It builds a rallying point for an alternative way of working to emerge in Hollywood and TV, opening up room for more debate in the populist public domain.
Speaking up against powerful men in Hollywood could cost a career and image. Perhaps that explains why a lot of male stars wore the pin but didn’t say much in support of #MeToo. That pay disparity and gender discrimination are rampant is also reflected in the current controversy around Michelle Williams ’ $1,000 pay cheque for a film reshoot as juxtaposed with Mark Wahlberg’s $1.1 Million. So, while a single speech by a powerful Hollywood celebrity will likely not change things overnight, it will definitely bring added attention to keep up the tempo around abuse of power in the cultural domain. James Franco, the latest in a list including several others, makes for a good recent example of this. It’s worth waiting and watching whether Oprah ’s speech does have a palpable effect on the institution that has arguably the greatest cultural influence globally today.
