.... and a warm welcome goes to Hollywood's newest batch of "It Girls". These photos above, taken by Annie Leibowitz will be appearing in the March 2010 issue of Vanity Fair and Evgenia Peretz does a brief profile on each of these talented young actresses.
Sasha Stone at one of my favourite blogs Awards Daily, really nailed it on the head though - there are no minorities in this group of actresses. The Huffington Post made a similar observation. Is Hollywood really progressing enough to cast actors who are truly indicative of America's social reality? Or has a wider ethnic spectrum of talent been excluded in this photo shoot?
Sasha Stone at one of my favourite blogs Awards Daily, really nailed it on the head though - there are no minorities in this group of actresses. The Huffington Post made a similar observation. Is Hollywood really progressing enough to cast actors who are truly indicative of America's social reality? Or has a wider ethnic spectrum of talent been excluded in this photo shoot?
Included in the group are:
- Carey Mulligan who is getting a lot of Oscar buzz for her breakthrough performance in An Education. I did have the opportunity to meet her last fall at TIFF and she is absolutely delightful.
- Kristen Stewart, star of Twilight and A New Moon. Her next film in theatres this March is The Runaways, which has her playing rock legend Joan Jett.
- Amanda Seyfried, best known perhaps for her ability to predict weather with her boobs in Mean Girls and for starring alongside Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia. I also got to meet her a TIFF this past September and she's another sweetheart. Her latest tear-jerker Dear John is also poised to debut big at the Box Office.
- Abbie Cornish, who is getting a bit of Oscar buzz for her turn in Bright Star.
- Rebecca Hall who gave us a wow one-two punch with strong performances in Woody Allen's Vicky Christina Barcelona and then Frost/Nixon. Love her.
- Emma Stone who was hilarious in The House Bunny as a "sacrificed virgin" and also in Box Office champ Zombieland.
- Anna Kendrick, star of Twilight and Best Supporting Actress contender for her role alongside George Clooney in Up in the Air. I was inches away from her at TIFF, but had no idea who she was at that point :(
- Evan Rachel Wood, who hasn't quite exceeded the promise she showed in Catherine Hardwicke's Thirteen, but is still undeniably one of the best in her generation.
- Mia Wasikowska, whom I have seen only briefly in failed Amelia Earheart biopic Amelia, but her upcoming starring role in Alice in Wonderland almost guarantees that she will be a big star.
Click here to read the rest of Peretz's write-up. What I'm really excited to see though is Leibowitz's annual Oscar contender portraits, which will also be featured in the issue.
While I do think the ladies chosen for the Vanity Fair layout have worked hard and most likely deserve the recognition, it's actually Hollywood's fault for not being able to cast leading characters who happen to be visible minorities.
ReplyDeleteI believe the issue lies w. the studio heads, who are a bunch of number crunching marketers looking for their bottom line. I can't blame them. Asian Am/ Can films tank if they don't have something the mainstream populus identifies w/ like a story connected to some white person discovering the culture for the first time or martial arts. An African Am/Can story can not be marketed if it isn't about the ghetto, drugs, music or casts Eddie Murphy.
I've spoken to a great deal of frustrated filmmakers that happen to be visible minorities who have completed wonderful pieces that never get seen because the distribution studios have NO IDEA in how to market them.
That said, I don't believe in supporting films because they happen to be Asian Am/Can or African Am/ Can. If a movie is crap, it's crap. If the film is good, it's good. Very simple.
Above all else, exposure of talent is needed. Most casting directors are open minded and try to get the best person for their roles. It's easier in television than it is in movies, particularly if it's a period film or something iconic (Joan Jett, Alice in Wonderland). I kind of feel that films are stuck where television has made advances.
So no, Vanity Fair isn't racist ... it's the Hollywood System.
so sorry I wrote so much - but you know me Will <3