‘Revenant’ fetes Oscar noms in London – Actors of color ignored

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This photo provided by courtesy of  Twentieth Century Fox shows Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass, in a scene from the film ‘The Revenant,’ directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. The movie opens in limited release on Dec 25, and wider release in US theaters on Jan 8, 2016. (AP)
This photo provided by courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox shows Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass, in a scene from the film ‘The Revenant,’ directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. The movie opens in limited release on Dec 25, and wider release in US theaters on Jan 8, 2016. (AP)

LONDON, Jan 15, (Agencies): Cast and crew of “The Revenant” celebrated their 12 Oscar nominations at the film’s London premiere on Thursday, saying they were “honoured” to be leading the race for this year’s awards.

The pioneer-era drama, about a man who is left for dead by his expedition companions after being attacked by a bear, will compete in a variety of categories, including best film, best director for Alejandro G. Inarritu, best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio and best supporting actor for Tom Hardy.

“I wanted 13 (nominations) but ok, that’s fine, it’s enough,” Inarritu joked on the red carpet.

“No, I am very happy, very honoured.”

DiCaprio, who plays lead character fur trapper Hugh Glass, earned his fifth acting Oscar nomination for the movie, in which he spends a large part not talking at all. Should he win, it would be his first Academy Award.

Inarritu called the performance “an amazing job” while co-star Domhnall Gleeson said it was “extraordinary”.

“I wish it was up to me; I’d give (the Oscar) to him but that’s not my job,” actor Will Poulter, who play’s Glass’ young apprentice Bridger, said. “It’s fantastic to see people react so positively,” he added about the film.

Hardy said he learned of his own nomination during a shoot earlier in the day.

“It’s only driving from work … I realised how special that is and I didn’t expect that to happen to me,” he said.

Soon after Thursday’s Academy Awards list was revealed, criticism of the lack of actors of colour among the nominations emerged, with last year’s hashtag #OscarsSoWhite revived.

Asked about the criticism on the lack of diversity, Inarritu said: “I agree, I think that there has to be there (on) the screen much more stories that represent all of us.”

“When you go to the cinema, you wish you see yourself in the mirror. It’s a mirror of humanity and if we all are not there, there’s something wrong.”

Meanwhile, grueling revenge movie “The Revenant” emerged as the Oscar front-runner on Thursday in nominations that pit big-budget movies against small personal dramas and once again shut actors of color out of the industry’s biggest honors.

The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite was quickly revived on Twitter. It had emerged last year, when only white actors received nods.

Will Smith, who stars in football injury drama “Concussion,” and Idris Elba from “Beasts of No Nation” were among the black actors who were not nominated this year. The black cast and director of hip hop biopic “Straight Outta Compton” were also left out of the race.

“In a year with an extraordinary number of great performances by black actors that were embraced by audiences and embraced by critics, for them all to get ignored is tragic,” said Reginald Hudlin, who will produce the Feb 28 awards ceremony hosted by comedian Chris Rock.

“The Revenant,” an ambitious pioneer-era saga, led with 12 nominations, including best picture, best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio and best director for Mexico’s Alejandro Inarritu, who won the top Oscar last year for the dark showbiz comedy “Birdman.”

“The Revenant” will compete with gritty action adventure “Mad Max: Fury Road” and space film “The Martian.” All three boast budgets above $100 million.

The best picture nominees also include independent films “Room,” “Spotlight” and “Brooklyn” as well as studio productions “The Big Short” and “Bridge of Spies,” which had budgets in the $20 million to $40 million range.

Wounds

Amid the excitement from nominees, others in Hollywood were nursing their wounds. “Straight Outta Compton” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” were left out of the best picture race, while Ridley Scott, director of best picture nominee “The Martian,” did not make the grade in the director category.

20th Century Fox led the studios with a total of 30 nominations, including for “The Revenant,” “The Martian” and “Joy,” as well as its Fox Searchlight independent film arm’s “Brooklyn” and “Youth.” The tally also includes six nods for “Bridge of Spies,” which it shared with Walt Disney Co.

“The Revenant,” about a fur trapper mauled by a bear and left for dead by his companions, brought nominations for DiCaprio, who has never won an Oscar, and supporting actor for Tom Hardy.

“We gave it our all on this film, and this appreciation from the Academy means a lot to me and my colleagues who made it possible,” Inarritu said in a statement. “Champagne and Mezcal will run tonight!”

The Oscars, chosen by the 6,000 members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, can have up to 10 best picture nominees, but voters selected just eight.

Genres

While diversity was lacking in the acting race, the films nominated reflect a variety of genres.

“Look at the range of movies we’re discussing,” film critic Leonard Maltin said. “A lesbian love story, a brutal story of survival and everything in between.”

Previous Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Jennifer Lawrence returned to the best actress race, which has no obvious front-runners. At 25, Lawrence, is the youngest four-time acting nominee.

This year, she was recognized for playing the Miracle Mop inventor in “Joy.” Blanchett was nominated for lesbian romance “Carol”, although the movie was overlooked for best picture.

The best actress field also includes rising star Brie Larson for “Room”; veteran Charlotte Rampling, who is hoping British drama “45 Years” will bring her first Oscar; and Saoirse Ronan for Irish immigrant tale “Brooklyn.”

Sylvester Stallone, enjoying a new wave of popularity, scored a supporting actor nod for reprising his career-defining role as boxer Rocky Balboa in “Creed.”

“I was not expecting it … especially at this time in my life,” the 69-year-old actor said in a statement.

Director Inarritu will face off with George Miller for “Mad Max”; Adam McKay for “The Big Short,” about the 2007 U.S. financial collapse; Lenny Abrahamson for “Room”; and Tom McCarthy for “Spotlight,” about the Boston Globe’s probe into child abuse by Catholic priests.

Meanwhile, with such a crowded field for this year’s Oscars race, there were bound to be big curveballs from the Academy Awards nominations on Thursday morning.

But the most disappointing outcome is that, for the second consecutive year, all 20 of the acting nominees are white. No Michael B. Jordan or Tessa Thompson for “Creed”? No Idris Elba or Abraham Attah for “Beasts of No Nation”? No Will Smith for “Concussion”? And the cast of “Straight Outta Compton” was also shut out. There’s no doubt that yet another year of an all-white Oscars, which is being widely criticized on Twitter, will be addressed by host Chris Rock at the Febt 28 telecast.

The Academy also managed to omit “Carol” from this year’s best picture race, marking the first time since 2008 that a movie backed by Harvey Weinstein isn’t competing in the top Oscars category. “The Revenant” led all films with 12 nominations, closely followed by 10 nominations for “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Here are the biggest snubs and surprises.

SNUB: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

Nominating the most gigantic movie in history (with a domestic box office tally of $820 million and growing) for best picture would have ensured that the Oscars telecast received a big boost in viewership. But the latest installment of “Star Wars” only picked up five nods in the technical categories like sound and editing.

SNUB: Ridley Scott, “The Martian”

Scott was expected to win the best director category this year for his ambitious space epic starring Matt Damon. But like Ben Affleck for “Argo,” the director’s branch of the Academy overlooked him. However, he is nominated for best producer since “The Martian” was recognized in the best picture race.

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