Thoughts on Viola’s loss
First of all - YES. Meryl Streep is a great actress. Let’s set that straight.
But her long, varied career has been made possible because she is a blonde, white, reasonably attractive woman who is afforded the access, the luxury of having the pick of the litter when it comes to meaty roles. That, coupled with her obvious talent, has built up her career.
The tragedy of Viola Davis losing is not necessarily because her performance was better than Streep’s. To say that any one film or director or actor in a category is better than another is just really not realistic. That being said, Viola has been robbed. Because unlike white, blonde Meryl Streep Viola does not have access to a myriad of meaty roles to show her talent. She is limited, and it is that limitation which bars black actors and actresses from shining. Meryl Streep has been nominated 17 times. How many times do you think Viola Davis is going to be nominated in her career? As a black, dark skinned woman out of her 20s? How many Margaret Thatchers are out there for an actress like her? As meaningless as the Oscars themselves are, to an actor’s career they are everything - you’re already at a disadvantage when you’re black, older, and female - even winning an Oscar doesn’t always necessarily mean great roles (look at Halle). The Academy has basically spent over 80 years of ignoring black talent in favor of the starlets and leading men they build up for nothing and I, for one, am horrified. Maybe I’ll feel different in the morning but right now all I can do is pray for Viola who I’m sure is absolutely gutted right now.
