On Diversifying the Academy: The Real Reasons Why Black Actors Aren’t Getting Nominated for Oscars

When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently announced they were accepting a huge slate of new members in an effort to diversify their membership, a collective exhale could be heard across Hollywood. Or was that an inhale? (Some members of the Academy were, quite frankly, pissed off that the Board of Governors shifted gears without consulting them first.)

According to Deadline, 683 new members were approved for acceptance into the Academy which increased female members to an overall 27%, up just 2% from last year, and people of color to overall 11%, which is up just 3% from last year.

Are these numbers impressive? Only time will truly tell. What I do know is these numbers alone are not necessarily enough to stem the #OscarsSoWhite tide, especially for Black actors.

And here’s why.

It's Business, Not Personal

Firstly, you can’t have a discussion about the Academy without having a discussion about the industry’s approach to casting. In order for black actors to even be remotely part of the Oscar narrative, they need to get the job in the first place. Period. You can talk all day about the Academy being predominantly male and white, but isn't the organization an extension of the industry as a whole?

Oscar nominations for Best Actor/Actress or Best Supporting Actor/Actress don’t happen in a vacuum. You have to first get considered for a role, then get cast. Once made, the movie has to get a distribution deal in order to be seen in movie theaters across the country and meet the voting criteria of the Academy. You see where this is going? It's an intense process.

Creative Realities

Secondly, what constitutes an Oscar-worthy role? Well, if you’re portraying a real life person that can help your odds tremendously in terms of getting noticed but even still, there is no guarantee. Of course, nothing shows off your acting chops more than when you’re playing a historical figure, especially one who is still living or one that you can still get audio and video footage of. Black actors who have been nominated or won in the Best Actor Category within the last 15 years, seven out of the 10 roles (70%) were based on a historical figure (compared to 44% of white actors). As for black actresses, they’re practically nonexistent when it comes to an Oscar nomination or win for Best Actress. Only three black have been nominated for an Oscar since 2001: Halle Berry (Winner, Monster’s Ball, 2001), Viola Davis (The Help, 2011) and Gabourey Sidibie (Precious, 2009).

SMDH.

Black Actors Who Have Been Nominated for an Academy Award for BEST ACTOR & BEST ACTRESS in the last 15 years:

Chiwetel Ejiofor,12 Years a Slave (2013); based on Solomon Northrup
Viola Davis, The Help (2011); semi-autobiographical
Denzel Washington, Flight (2012); fictional character
Gabourey Sidibie, Precious (2009); fictional character
Morgan Freeman, Invictus (2009); based on Nelson Mandela
WINNER: Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland (2006); based on Idi Amin
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness (2006); based on Chris Gardner
Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow (2005); fictional character
WINNER: Jamie Foxx in Ray (2004); based on Ray Charles
Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda (2004); based on Paul Rusesabagina
WINNER: Denzel Washington, Training Day (2001); fictional character
WINNER: Halle Berry, Monster's Ball (2001); fictional character
Will Smith, Ali (2001); based on Muhammad Ali

White actors, on the other hand, don't have to necessarily wait around for the next biopic to get recognized by the Academy. They have more options when it comes to the diversity of roles. Since 2001, a total of 63 white actors have been nominated for Best Actor, but only 28 of those roles were based on a real person.

So, yes, go ahead and diversify the Academy membership so that there is an opportunity for more diverse voices to be heard, especially when it comes time to vote. Yet, until more scripts featuring black leads are greenlit, made and released in movie theaters, black actors will continue to struggle in their quest to get recognized by the Academy, or any other awards organization for that matter.