Till actress Danielle Deadwyler is speaking out about not receiving an Oscar nomination for her powerful performance as Mamie Till-Mobley.
Despite getting nods from the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Image Awards, the BAFTA Awards, and being named Best Actress by the African-American Film Critics Association, Deadwyler was ignored by Oscar voters for her role in the Civil Rights biopic.
Till tells the story of heartbroken mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, as she fought for justice after her 14-year-old son Emmett Till was lynched in rural Mississippi in 1955.
Related Story: ‘The Woman King,’ ‘Emancipation,’ ‘Till’ and Female Directors Shut Out of Oscar Nominations
Deadwyler appeared as a guest on the latest episode of the Kermode & Mayo’s Take podcast. The actress was asked how she felt about Till director Chinonye Chukwu’s criticism of the film academy after the drama was completely shut out of the Oscar nominations.
As previously reported, Chukwu responded to the snub by posting a statement on Instagram saying Hollywood has a problem when it comes to viewing the work of Black female directors.
“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,” she wrote.
Deadwyler said she agrees with the director, adding that there are “residual effects” of systemic racism.
“Hattie McDaniel [1940 Oscar nominee] couldn’t even attend the ceremony. She had to be in the back. 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 institutions that you’ve created,” she stated.
Deadwyler was then asked how race may have been a factor in the Oscar nominations.
“We’re talking about people who perhaps chose not to see the film,” she told the hosts. “We’re talking about misogynoir. It comes in all kinds of ways. Whether it’s direct or indirect, it impacts who we are.”
“Misogynoir” is a term referring to misogyny directed towards Black women where race and gender both play a role. The term was originated by scholar and activist Moya Bailey in 2010 to describe racism experienced by black women in American visual and popular culture.
Deadwyler continued on the podcast, “The question is more intent on people who are living in whiteness, white people’s assessment of what the spaces they are privileged by are doing.”
Discover more from Urban Hollywood 411
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.