#GoldenGlobesSoWhite: Television Categories Snub People of Color
Words by Daniela Cortes
Cover Graphic by Aspasia Celia Tsampas
From the shutdown early on to the continuing restrictions in filming, television and film production have had a turbulent year. The 78th Golden Globes and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association have continued to honor the films and television series’ that have made an impact despite the ongoing pandemic. However, the Golden Globes are facing controversy over the slew of white television category nominees. All the Best Actress and Actor nominees in the Television Motion Picture and Drama categories are white. Additionally, many nominees for Best Television Actress Musical/Comedy and Best Supporting Actress Motion Picture (the latter category nominating Anya Taylor-Joy, who identifies as Latina) are mostly white.
Some have argued that filming and production difficulties could have resulted in a lack of diversity. However, there were also many stand-out television series that featured a cast and crew composed mostly of people of color that produced and aired during the pandemic. Lovecraft Country and Small Axe are among these shows which are being honored by the Golden Globes. Yet the actors and actresses of color that gave stand-out performances were snubbed. Jurnee Smollett, Aunjanue Ellis, and Wunmi Mosaku were among the talented actresses who starred in Lovecraft Country and were left out of nominations. Uzo Aduba, another black actress who gave a standout performance as Shirley Chisholm on Mrs. America was shockingly disregarded while her white co-star Cate Blanchett was nominated for Best Actress Television Motion Picture.
Some notable actors of color within television that were not recognized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association include Michael K. Williams and Jonathan Majors for Lovecraft Country, Colman Domingo for Euphoria, Lamorne Morris for Woke, Chris Rock and Glynn Turman for Fargo, Nicco Annan for P-Valley, and Joshua Caleb Johnson for The Good Lord Bird. Pedro Pascal, despite starring in The Mandalorian, which was nominated for Best Drama Series, was not nominated for Best Actor in a Drama Series. Steven Yeun was also not nominated for Best Actor Motion Picture despite his film Minari being nominated for Best Picture Foreign Language.
Two of the most shocking snubs were among two of television’s most acclaimed shows: Insecure and I May Destroy You. Both shows were created, written, and directed predominantly by black women and feature black women as main characters. Issa Rae, of Insecure, has previously been nominated by the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Golden Globes as Best Actress for a Comedy Series, yet was not included within this year’s list of nominees. I May Destroy You was a phenomenal success acclaimed by critics. Written, directed by, and starring Michaela Coel, who took inspiration from her own assault, the show portrayed a real and heart-wrenching look at a sexual assault survivor’s life. Yet, when it came to the Golden Globes nominations, I May Destroy You was not recognized at all.
Even some films with a predominantly black cast and crew that were nominated in the Best Actor or Best Director categories were not among the Best Picture or Best Screenplay nominations. These films include One Night in Miami…, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Judas and the Black Messiah. One film that was left out in the Acting, Best Director and Best Picture nomination was Da 5 Bloods, with a standout act from Delroy Lindo not recognized.
Despite the shortcomings of television nominations for people of color, there were many positives concerning film nominations. Three women were nominated for Best Director Motion Picture, two of which were women of color: Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman, Regina King for One Night in Miami…, and Chloé Zhao for Nomadland. Emerald Fennell and Chloé Zhao were also nominated for Best Screenplay Motion Picture. Additionally, Over the Moon and Soul were nominated for Best Picture Animated, both featuring people of color.
There were several nominations of people of color for the acting categories: Motion Picture Drama and Motion Picture Musical/Comedy. Viola Davis, for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Andra Day, for The United States vs. Billie Holiday, were nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama. Riz Ahmed and the late Chadwick Boseman were both nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for Sound of Metal and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom respectively. Daniel Kaluuya, for Judas and the Black Messiah, and Leslie Odom Jr., for One Night in Miami…, were nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. Moving further down the list of nominees, notably Lin-Manuel Miranda and Dev Patel were nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical/Comedy for their roles in Hamilton and The Personal History of David Copperfield.
Although there were nominations for people of color among the film categories, that same amount of energy was not devoted to rightfully nominate people of color in the television categories. It is not enough to just nominate the television series that feature actors of color, without highlighting the individual actors and actresses who make that show great. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association needs to examine how they nominate television actors and ensure that actors of color are included in the conversation. Even with fewer shows being produced and aired, actors of color made lasting impressions in the minds of critics and fans. It is only fair that they should be nominated for their talent and hard work this award season
You can tune into the Golden Globes on February 28, 2021, to see who ends up taking the win for their category.
