Do you remember, back in 2015, when the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite went viral as people rightfully criticized the lack of diversity among that year's Oscar nominees? And then in 2016, when literally nothing changed?
Well, thankfully, a little has changed since then. For example, Stephanie Hsu celebrated the record four Asian actors who are nominated this year, telling Entertainment Weekly, "I feel like today we get to have a public-facing moment of intergenerational healing."
However, the Oscars still have a very long way to go in terms of representation. For example, many people feel that Danielle Deadwyler was snubbed this year because, despite her outstanding performance in Till, she wasn't nominated for an award.
She told the Kermode & Mayo's Take podcast, "We're talking about [Academy voters] who, perhaps, chose not to see the film. We're talking about misogynoir — like, it comes in all kinds of ways, whether it's direct or indirect. It impacts who we are."
Here are 21 Oscars award "firsts" that have only happened in the last 15 years, proving we still have a loooong way to go:
1. In 2023, Everything Everywhere All at Once actor Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian nominee for Best Actress.
2. In 2021, Minari actor Steve Yeun became the first Asian American nominee for Best Actor.
3. In 2013, Steve McQueen became the first Black director to win Best Picture, which he took home for 12 Years a Slave.
4. In 2009, Best Picture went to Slumdog Millionaire, making it the first movie featuring an entirely non-white cast to take home the award.
5. In 2010, The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win Best Director.
6. Nomadland director Chloé Zhao was not only the first woman of color to win Best Director, but she was also the first woman of color to be nominated in that category. She took home the award in 2021.
Additionally, she was only the second woman in history to win.