‘Till’ Star Danielle Deadwyler Breaks Silence on Oscars Snub

Danielle Deadwyler has expressed frustration over her Best Actress snub at the Oscars. The Till star referred to “misogynoir” regarding Academy Awards voting, speculating that most members had purposely overlooked Chinonye Chukwu’s historical drama. The term misogynoir refers to misogyny and prejudice directed at Black women, coined by Black feminist activist and author Moya Bailey. “We’re talking about people who perhaps chose not to see the film. We’re talking about misogynoir, like it comes in all kinds of ways, whether it’s direct or indirect,” Deadwyler said during an appearance on the Kermode & Mayo’s Take podcast. “It impacts who we are.” The actress added, “I think the question is more on people who are living in whiteness, white people’s assessment of the spaces they are privileged by.”

In addition to her nominations for Best Actress at the BAFTA and SAG Awards, Deadwyler was also recognized at the Critics Choice Awards. According to the star, the lack of diversity among this year’s Oscar nominees is part of a systemic problem beyond Hollywood. “We’ve seen it exist in a governmental capacity — it can exist on a societal capacity, be it global or national,” Deadwyler said. “Then it has its residual effects. It is in our quotidian life. It is in our industries. It is a thing… Everyone has to assess and investigate, source out and make more equitable. Nobody is absolved of not participating in racism and not knowing that there is a possibility of its lingering effect on the spaces and the institution.”

As the film was shut out of nominations, Till director Chukwu took to social media to slam the Academy for “perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards Black women. “We live in a world and work in industries that are so aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards Black women,” Chukwu wrote. “And yet, I am forever in gratitude for the greatest lesson of my life: Regardless of any challenges or obstacles, I will always have the power to cultivate my own joy, and it is this joy that will continue to be one of my greatest forms of resistance.”During the podcast, Deadwyler, who was named one of the Associated Press’s breakthrough performers last year, stressed the importance of ensuring an equitable playing field for all. “Nobody is absolved of not participating in racism and not knowing that there is a possibility of its lingering effect on the spaces and the institution,” she said.