Women of Color Are Getting Opportunities, and It's Time for the Oscars to Recognize Them

Viola Davis, Michelle Yeoh and Danielle Deadwyler are only some of the women vying for honors this season No images? [Click here]( ID=167008;size=700x180;setID=527264;uid={EMAIL}7198604;click=template_daily_awards_wrap_up [Daily Awards Wrap Up] January 11, 2023 [- - -] Women of Color Are Getting Opportunities, and It’s Time for the Oscars to Recognize Them Viola Davis, Michelle Yeoh and Danielle Deadwyler are only some of the women vying for honors this season [- - -] By Ronda Racha Penrice [Viola Davis - Michelle Yeoh - Danielle Deadwyler] Viola Davis in “The Woman King” (Sony), Michelle Yeoh in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24), Danielle Deadwyler in “Till” (United Artists) “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity,” Viola Davis said back in 2015 when she accepted her Emmy, the first for a Black woman in the Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series category. It’s an observation that very much applies to the big screen, too. And, fortunately, we are in an era where those opportunities appear to be expanding. The result could be historic. Most of us don’t realize that Halle Berry is not just the first Black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar; she is still the only actress of color to win it. That regrettable statistic could change this year, with three actresses who could end a first-and-only stat that has stood for an astounding 20 years. Most notable among them is veteran Malaysian-Chinese actress Michelle Yeoh who is drawing buzz for “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” a rare Hollywood film that stars an Asian woman. Yeoh rose to prominence in martial arts films, coming to greater mainstream American attention in Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film more than 20 years ago. In recent years, the pioneering action star has gotten a chance to show her versatility in such films as “Crazy Rich Asians,” but “Everything Everywhere All At Once” has allowed her to use all her skills, martial arts included. The film places her character, Evelyn Wang, an everyday woman reflective of the Chinese immigrant experience, in scenarios not typical for many actresses, with Yeoh’s performance hopefully opening the door for more Asian actresses in more meaty lead roles. Best Supporting Actress winner Viola Davis might just nab her first Best Actress Oscar for “The Woman King,” a film that also speaks to the expanding opportunities for actresses of color. Her role as General Nanisca is a nontraditional one in a film by Black female director Gina Prince-Bythewood that features an ensemble cast of Black women from various points of the world, particularly the U.K. and the African continent. It is a film that Prince-Bythewood has noted would not be possible without the success of the female Dora Milaje warriors from “Black Panther,” but it also expands on that promise. For Davis to be in For Your Consideration conversations in a role of a type more often associated with Russell Crowe in “Gladiator” and Mel Gibson in “The Patriot” has to be a win for all actresses, but is even more meaningful for those of color. ID=167008;size=300x250;setID=523257;uid={EMAIL}7198604;click=template_daily_awards_wrap_up And then there is the force of newcomer Danielle Deadwyler as real-life civil rights activist Mamie Till-Mobley in “Till,” which is set around the tragic 1955 murder of her 14-year-old son Emmett Till in Mississippi. In another film helmed by a Black female director, Nigerian-American Chinonye Chukwu, we get a glimpse of the fight for justice through not just the Black female lens, but from the viewpoint of a mother. Like Andra Day, who snagged a Best Actress nomination for her title role in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” Deadwyler is a breakout star of this award season. The Best Supporting Actress category is one in which Black actresses have excelled, with multiple winners going back to Hattie McDaniel for “Gone With the Wind” in 1940 and including nine winners of color in the last 17 years, among them Octavia Spencer, Lupita Nyong’o, Regina King and Davis herself. This year, Angela Bassett is considered by many as a virtual sure shot to be nominated for her role as Queen Ramonda in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Even if she doesn’t get nominated, however, strong contenders include Janelle Monae for her critical dual role in “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” Gabrielle Union as homophobic mother Inez French in “The Inspection” and Keke Palmer as a horse trainer for Hollywood productions in Jordan Peele’s “Nope.” This successful track record is not true for Asian actresses. When Youn Yuh-jung, a legend in Korea, won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “Minari,” in 2021, she was the first Asian actress to win since Japanese actress Miyoshi Umeki did so in 1958 for “Sayonara.” And, interestingly, Umeki was the first Asian actor of any gender to ever win. Very few Asian actresses have even been nominated, a situation that could change this year with three strong contenders among Asian actresses. The highest profile one is Stephanie Hsu, who costars with Yeoh in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” in dual roles as Evelyn Wang’s openly gay daughter Joy and as archvillain Jobu Tupaki in another part of the film’s multiverse reality. Momentum is also building for Filipina actress Dolly De Leon, who stars as cleaning staff worker Abigail on the luxury yacht in the Palme d’Or-winning comedy “Triangle of Sadness,” and for Hong Chau from “The Whale,” whose performance opposite likely Best Actor winner Brendan Fraser is also deserving. Even though Chloe Zhao broke the ceiling for women directors of color with her historic first Oscar win for “Nomadland,” it is doubtful any woman will be nominated, with Prince-Bythewood the only female director of color in serious conversation. On the animated front, Domee Shi, who won an Oscar for her animated short “Bao,” could be nominated for her animated feature “Turning Red.” And even if Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer” isn’t nominated for Best Foreign Film, her film’s selection as France’s official Oscar submission in the international-film category is a first in her country for a Black woman director. Fortunately, Oscar prospects for women of color below-the-line are more normalized. “Black Panther” production designer and costume designer Hannah Beachler and Ruth E. Carter, historic Oscar winners for “Black Panther,” could and should be nominated again for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” There is also a possibility that their hairstylist colleague Camille Friend could get her first nomination. This is the category where hairstylist and makeup artist Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson became the first Black women to be nominated and to win for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” in 2021. First nominations could also come for “The Woman King” editor and costumer Terilyn A. Shropshire and Gersha Phillips, as well as for “The Whale” makeup artist Judy Chin. What this all means is that opportunities are expanding for women of color in front and behind the camera. That is a great thing – not just for women of color, but for film overall. Read more of TheWrap’s awards coverage [HERE.]( [- - -] [Follow us on Facebook]( [Follow us on Twitter]( [Follow us on Instagram]( [Follow us on Linkedin]( TheWrap 1808 Stanford Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90404 [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. If you are no longer interested you can [unsubscribe instantly](.