In Chinonye Chukwu's Till, actress Danielle Deadwyler's performance as Mamie Till-Mobley had critics fawning. She was nominated for a BAFTA, a Critics Circle, and a SAG award, traditional precursors to an Oscar nod. Pundits had her on the short list of likely Best Actress nominees, but when the nominations were announced on Jan. 24, Deadwyler was not on the list.
The omission led to controversy over the social media campaign behind British actress Andrea Riseborough's Best Actress nomination for the film For Life. The campaign leading to her nomination was championed by a group of white actors and actresses, directed by Riseborough's agent and the director's wife, actress Mary McCormack.
The day nominations were announced, Chukwu took to Instagram to say, "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."
Deadwyler, who had not spoken publicly about the perceived Oscar snub, was asked Friday on the podcast Kermode & Mayo's Take, if she agreed with Chukwu's comments.
"We're talking about people who perhaps chose not to see the film," the 40-year-old said. "We're talking about misogynoir, like it comes in all kinds of ways, whether it's direct or indirect. It impacts who we are.
"I think the question is more on people who are living in whiteness, white people's assessment of the spaces they are privileged by," Deadwyler continued.
Deadwyler, who also starred in the Netflix series From Scratch with Zoe Saldana and in The Harder They Fall, said that she believes systemic racism is an inherent part of the entire culture, not just the entertainment industry.
"We've seen it exist in a governmental capacity -- it can exist on a societal capacity, be it global or national," Deadwyler adds. "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 it 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."