[custom_adv] As of 2020, no Asian-American has ever been nominated for Best Actress, and no Latinx woman has ever won. If Cynthia Erivo takes home the gold for her performance as Harriet Tubman, she would be the second Black woman ever (the first being Halle Berry in 2003) to win. [custom_adv] And yet, there are reasons to celebrate. In TV, the rise of streaming services has created a new star system of diverse young actors. Shows like Pose (FX) and Euphoria (HBO) are providing a platform for trans and non-binary actors to tell their own stories, while others like Insecure (HBO), Killing Eve (BBC America), Shrill (Hulu), and Fleabag (Amazon) are giving voice to a full spectrum of women’s experiences. Even in film, traditionally a slower medium to adapt, things are changing. [custom_adv] In 2020, five of the most anticipated action blockbusters of the year — Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey, Cate Shoreland’s Black Widow, Niki Caro’s Mulan, Chloe Zhao’s The Eternals, and Patti Jenkins’ Wonder Woman: 1984 — are directed by and starring women. No longer relegated to playing the damsel in distress, we’re seeing women kick ass both as heroes and villains. [custom_adv] Many black Americans immediately identified with that well of emotion, which reflected both the toll of her journey and the hope for more change to come. [custom_adv] But Hollywood has always been a mercurial experiment, with white men holding the reins of power, making progress, inclusion and diversity at best a seasonal proposition. Almost 20 years on, Berry remains the only African-American woman to win a best actress Oscar.
