Golden Globes to return with huge stars in tow: A look at criticism against awards over racism, sexism
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA: The Golden Globes 2023 is all set to to make a comeback with some of Hollywood's brightest stars in attendance. The awards are returning after a two-year boycott following criticism against Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s lack of diversity among its membership and complaints of unethical business practices.
According to Variety, the stars confirmed to be a part of the event include 'Elvis' star Austin Butler, 'The Fabelmans' team of Steven Spielberg, Michelle Williams and Tony Kushner, 'Blonde' actor Ana de Armas, 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' star Jamie Lee Curtis and 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' actor Daniel Craig.
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Meanwhile, 'Babylon', which has a stellar cast including Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Julia Roberts, may be present at the ceremony. 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' director Rian Johnson, 'Avatar: The Way of Water' director James Cameron, 'Pinocchio' director Guillermo del Toro and 'Close' actor Lukas Dhont will also walk the red carpet. The confirmed TV stars to attend the gala include Kevin Costner of 'Yellowstone', Sheryl Lee Ralph of 'Abbott Elementary', Julia Garner, who has been nominated for 'Ozark' and 'Inventing Anna', Niecy Nash of 'Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story', Elizabeth Debecki of 'The Crown', Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder of 'Hack', 'Wednesday' star Jenna Ortega, Kaley Cuoco of 'The Flight Attendant', Jessica Chastain of 'George & Tammy' and 'The Bear' star Jeremy Allen White.
The award night will also include tributes to Ryan Murphy, who will receive the fourth Carol Burnett Award, and Eddie Murphy, who is being honored with the Cecil B DeMille Award. Emmy winner Jerrod Carmichael will be the host.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association(HFPA) has faced immense backlash in the recent years. The HFPA is a non-profit organization with 87 journalists in the forum with no Black members. The association faced numerous criticism for its “ethical lapses,” with members flying to Paris in support of the Netflix comedy 'Emily in Paris', that paid nearly $2M to the group between 2019 and 2020.
An investigation by the Los Angeles Times unearthed a lot of unscrupulius practices adopted by the organization. The investigation also revealed a lawsuit filed by Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa, who was denied membership. She reportedly accused them of a “culture of corruption” with members accepting “thousands of dollars in emoluments” from studios and celebrities.
Scarlett Johansson was among the first actors to criticize HFPA. Accoding to Hollywood Reporter, “As an actor promoting a film, one is expected to participate in awards season by attending press conferences as well as awards shows,” Johansson shared in a statement. “In the past, this has often meant facing sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment. It is the exact reason why I, for many years, refused to participate in their conferences. The HFPA is an organization that was legitimized by the likes of Harvey Weinstein to amass momentum for Academy recognition and the industry followed suit. Unless there is necessary fundamental reform within the organization, I believe it is time that we take a step back from the HFPA and focus on the importance and strength of unity within our unions and the industry as a whole," her statement continued.
Netflix CEO, Ted Sarandos, had also written a letter in the past that the streaming giants would not participate in the awards unless the group pledged to reform itself in view of allegations of sexism and racism. The letter reportedly stated, “We are stopping any activities with your organization until more meaningful changes are made." In 2021, it was revealed that the board of HFPA had no Black members. However, in March 2021, a former HFPA president referred to Black Lives Matter as a "racist hate movement" and its co-founder Patrisse Cullors as a "self-proclaimed trained Marxist."
Mark Ruffalo also slammed Golden Globes in the past for its lack of diversity. “It’s discouraging to see the HFPA, which has gained prominence and profited handsomely from their involvement with filmmakers and actors, resist the change that is being asked of them from many of the groups that have been most disenfranchised by their culture of secrecy and exclusion. Now is the time to step up and right the wrongs of the past. Our industry is embracing the opportunity for greater equality in this beautiful moment. It is not perfect and long overdo but it is clear what must happen and how. The Justice Movement is offering all of us, the HFPA, and every other entertainment entity, a good way forward. We should all follow suit. It is our audiences and our highest sense of decency that we are ultimately serving with these changes. They are both deserving," he reportedly said in a statement.
The HFPA later came up with a plan to remodel its structure and approach. In an official statement, they claimed, “We know that the past few months have presented many challenges for our members, and we appreciate all of the time and effort you have invested in this process thus far,” an unsigned letter from the HFPA board to the group’s members read, outlining the changes they propose. “We want to be clear – these outlined changes are just the first steps in the long journey ahead. We also know that in this existential moment for our association, change is difficult and sometimes scary," it added.
“The Board, as well as our outside partners, wholeheartedly endorse this reimagination of our organization. We must meet this moment, knowing that if we join together in support, we can become a better organization and, with hard work, an example of diversity, transparency and accountability in the industry for others to follow, just as our founders imagined almost 80 years ago," the letter continued, as per Deadline.