“The Academy is filled with both racism and homophobia”. This is Ian Mckellen’s shocking statement as the legendary actor commented this Monday on the matter of discrimination among this year’s Oscar voters. While you may think that this reputed prize should only be offered to those who deserve it, Ian Mckellen suggests that no publicly out man ever seem to deserve it.
He declared: “No openly gay man has ever won the Oscar; I wonder if that is prejudice or chance”, then, after being reminded that several actors have won the Oscar for playing gay roles, like Tom Hanks, Sean Penn and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mckellen rushed to say: “How clever, how clever. What about giving me one for playing a straight man?” He has been nominated for the best supporting actor after playing Gandalf in the first part of the Lord of the Rings and he had high hopes for his latest role as Sherlock Holmes, although his expectations were not rewarded. He then continued and said that: “Eddie Redmayne is a bloody good actor even though I had the privilege of denying him his first film part. I didn’t think he was good enough…I can’t remember why. We turned down this little Eton boy.”
On the other hand, Ellen Page also took on Hollywood, accusing the Academy of double standards regarding homosexuality. “There’s still that double standard. I look at all the things I’ve done in movies: I’ve drugged a guy, tortured someone, become a roller-derby star overnight. But now I’m gay, I can’t play a straight person?” She declared that she came out after the six year marathon working for Freeheld, alongside Julianne Moore because she felt “widely inappropriate to be playing this character as a closeted person. Coming out was a long process though.”
Now, she says that it gets increasingly difficult to find herself appreciated for straight roles as the Hollywood seems to be a bit retained regarding homosexuality and gay roles.
Whatever may be the case, it seems like this year’s ceremony will be pretty tensed, since Will Smith and his wife Jada announced that they will not attend to the ceremony, while Chris Rock, the host, is to tackle the discrimination issue in his prologue.
Can’t wait, right?
