Taraji P. Henson says campaigning for Hollywood awards is “not fun,” and may not even be worth the trouble.
The actress received an Oscar nomination for her role in the 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. In a new interview with Vulture, she criticized the practice of campaigning for an Oscar.
“I’ve only been nominated once, but I remember feeling like I was on a political campaign… in a bad way, because you saw the movie. What am I convincing you to do? Why am I doing this?” she said. “I already did press for the movie.”
Awards season campaigns usually include attending industry parties and red carpet events like the film academy’s Governors Awards. It’s also customary to sit down for Q&A conversations in front of awards voters, as well as doing interviews with the Hollywood trades, the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.
Henson said the process is exhausting, especially when you don’t win.
“It’s not fun,” she said. “Make it make sense. That’s toying with my emotions. Am I being sensitive? I’m an artist. F–k you. Yeah, I’m sensitive.”
When Vulture asked if she thought campaigning makes a difference, Henson said she wasn’t sure.
“I don’t even know,” she responded. “I don’t understand it anymore. I thought I did, but I don’t.”
The actress said getting the Oscar nomination did little to boost her career.
“The first person who called me was Tyler Perry to offer me I Can Do Bad All by Myself. And then I got beat up in the press, asking why I did that after being nominated for an Oscar,” she shared. “Well, you tell me why the phone didn’t ring from anybody else you think I should be working with.”
Mo’Nique has also criticized the practice of awards season campaigning, but said she was “blackballed” for speaking out.
The comedian took home a best supporting actress Oscar in 2010 for her performance in the film, Precious, from director Lee Daniels and producers Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry.
In a 2019 interview with Steve Harvey on his self-titled talk show, Mo’Nique admitted there was fallout after she refused to campaign for the film without additional pay.
“I said no to some powerful people,” she told Harvey. “I said no to Oprah Winfrey, I said no Tyler Perry, I said no to Lee Daniels, and I said no to Lionsgate.”
Mo’Nique addressed the issue again on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast in 2024. She said Daniels publicly apologized after her career was derailed, but insisted Winfrey’s silence still hurts.
“You’ve been unfair. You’ve been unjust and you watched a Black woman be thrown under the bus and you said nothing,” the comedian said about Winfrey.
It’s unlikely awards season campaigning will change. The practice is big business in New York and L.A. for event planners, caterers, hotels, and transportation companies.
While the process may be reviled, it does bring attention to smaller indie films like American Fiction — which won the best adapted screenplay Oscar for writer-director Cord Jefferson in 2024. The film also picked up BAFTA, Critics Choice, Independent Spirit, Writers Guild, and NAACP Image Awards.
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