Everything Everywhere All at Once, a 2023 feature film with a primarily Asian cast, won seven Oscar Academy Awards out of the eleven categories it was nominated for during the 95th annual Academy Awards ceremony. Despite this prominent representation of Asian-Americans, the Oscars’ general lack of representation of marginalized communities has been an issue for the entirety of its history.
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An Underrepresentation
Started in 1929, the Oscars is an awards ceremony that celebrates the film industry and those who work both in front of and behind the camera by presenting awards such as Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Costume Design. Despite this wide variety of award categories, minorities struggle to be recognized as they are not often nominated. In fact, research presented by Dan Zak, a feature writer for The Washington Post, shows that despite coming close in 2010, “Black Oscar nominees have not caught up to their share of the U.S. population” (Zak 2016). Furthermore, these constraints are not limited to Black nominees, but also Hispanic nominees, who, according to Zak, similarly “[lag] well behind their share of [the] U.S. population” (Zak 2016). In an attempt to balance minority inclusion, the Oscars have instituted a new diversity rule that took effect this year, 2024. According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, film producers will be required to submit “a confidential Academy Inclusion Standards form…for Best Picture consideration” (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 2020). These forms must include the cast and crew’s race, gender, sexual orientation, and disability status. The film itself must also meet two out of four criteria regarding in-film representation (such as diversity of cast, crew, plot or themes). With these rules have come a wave of criticism from Academy voters, both publicly and anonymously. For instance, when Jaws (1975) star Richard Dreyfuss was asked in an interview what he thought about these inclusion rules, he responded, “They make me vomit” (Giang-Paunon 2023). Although some argue that the Oscars’ new diversity rule is too strict and will only result in inauthentic representation, these new submission requirements may be a productive way to improve minority representation both by allowing producers to incorporate talent that wasn’t previously apparent and by supporting affirmative action policies now tenuous after recent Supreme Court decisions.
A New Start… Or Not?
In light of these new inclusion rules, countless Academy voters have spoken out against these requirements, putting forth sensible arguments and concerns. An unidentified director interviewed by The New York Post presented the following argument: “I’m for diversity, but to make you cast certain types of people if you want to get nominated? That makes the whole process contrived. The person who is right for the part should get the part. Why should you be limited in your choices?” (Giang-Paunon 2023). This director brings to light “contrived” representation, a factor that needs to be considered when implementing such rules. Yet this isn’t the only instance of an attempted forced diversity in the media. In 2003, the NFL introduced The Rooney Rule, a regulation that requires owners of NFL teams to interview at least two minority candidates when hiring a new Head Coach, at least one minority candidate for a coordinator job, and at least one minority and/or female candidate for senior level positions (i.e., club president). Herm Edwards, former NFL player and one of only 24 Black Head Coaches in NFL history, presented his opinion on the Rooney Rule: “They’re going to interview who they interview. And if they already got a candidate who they want to pick, they’ll interview a minority candidate but they already know who they’re going to pick” (Edwards 2023). Furthermore, Edwards explains that the Rooney Rule actually hinders minority candidates from getting a job: “And that can hurt you if you get too many interviews and you don’t get a job. Because then it’s like, ‘Why should I hire him when he’s already had eight interviews and no one hires him?’ And if you don’t take the interview, then it’s like, ‘Well you had a chance to interview, but you didn’t do it’” (Edwards 2023). Edwards clearly explains the harm that can come from changes like the Rooney Rule, especially the adverse effects of too much representation and the very fine line that lies between overrepresentation and underrepresentation in the interviewing process. When taking the Rooney Rule into consideration, the Oscars diversity requirement begins to seem as though it may not work as intended despite the Academy’s good intentions.
A Dilemma
Despite the potential negative implications of the Academy’s new diversity rule, the Oscars are ultimately doing the right thing by trying to foster diversity in films. In a 2002 Oscar acceptance speech, Halle Berry, the first (and only) woman of color to win Best Actress, dedicated her award to “every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened” (Halle Berry). For these “nameless, faceless [women] of color,” and all members of minorities, a diversity rule will likely be effective in presenting more opportunities for historic moments such as this. Ultimately, by forcing the diversification of cast and crew, these previously overlooked minorities are granted the opportunity to showcase their talent. Michelle Yeoh, an Asian actress who starred in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), made history as the first Asian woman to ever win Best Actress. In a 2022 actress roundtable hosted by The Hollywood Reporter, Yeoh tells White women, “I honestly look at all of you with such envy because you get an opportunity to try all the different roles, but we only get that opportunity maybe once in a long, long time” (Michelle Yeoh). One explanation for this lack of opportunity could be the composition of the Academy voting body itself. According to statistics from the Los Angeles Times, about 73% of the Academy voters are White men over the age of 60. These data may explain the absence in the diversity of Award winners (both in cast, crew and the films themselves), as older White men could be unconsciously attracted to voting for stories and films they might find more relatable. Implementing rules to bolster minority representation will increase diverse film submissions, therefore, ultimately leading to a more diverse list of films for the Academy to vote for.
Conclusion
Racial inclusion issues have been prominent throughout the history of the United States and will continue to evolve. However, changes like the Oscars’ diversity rule and affirmative action can assist the progression towards racial equality. In the writing of this essay, one solution has come to mind. By establishing technology-based feeder programs and technology factories funded by large corporations involved in the film industry into impoverished cities and towns, underprivileged children could have access to an advanced education that would train them to work in the film industry. Once these students graduate, they would have the necessary skills to work in films as actors, directors, editors, cinematographers, or one of the countless other roles on set. Eventually, with enough experience, these young adults will have the same education, experience, and chance as those who were raised privileged, which, hopefully, will create a world in which forced methods of diversifying these industries will no longer be necessary.