WHEN Lupita Nyong’o won her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “12 Years a Slave,” I could not quibble with the devastating veracity of her performance. But I expressed even then that she was young, this was her first feature and she “had time” — and might fall victim to the “too early Oscar curse.” However, a terrific piece in The Hollywood Reporter has brought me up short and I now see Lupita’s Oscar might be her only bargaining chip in a career not pre-destined for great success. For one thing, she’s not THAT young — 31, though she looks much younger. And, for all her beauty and fantastic fashion sense and her intelligence, which she has displayed at every public event, she has a distinct disadvantage. Her color. THR notes that as yet no African American woman has become a major movie star in the manner of Julia Roberts or Angelina Jolie. Some have Oscars (Whoopi, Halle Berry, Octavia Spencer) — some have come close (Diana Ross, Viola Davis, Angela Bassett.) But the momentum of a woman of color’s career seems ever to stall, just at the point it should be soaring. And, contends THR, Lupita faces an even greater challenge in that she is a beautiful, and beautifully ebony, actress. It seems that whenever Hollywood fetes a young black actress or performer, she is usually of mixed heritage or has a fairer complexion. The better to make her more palatable to the masses — yes, that seems to be true. And if Hollywood couldn’t write or produce properly for Halle Berry, does Lupita have a chance? Well, now is the time for Hollywood to display what the millions and billions of dollars it spends on crap can do for real talent. THR writer Gregg Kilday quotes a top Hollywood agent: “Everyone would love to sign her, I’ve hardly been in a meeting where her name hasn’t come up. Right now, she should be having meetings with Spielberg and Scorsese.” A casting agent added: Maybe shes someone who can change the direction for darker-skinned actresses who are definitely not European-looking. That’s great, but does anybody have the intelligence or courage to cast Lupita in something modern, funny, forward thinking, or will she receive endless variations on “12 Years a Slave?” (This is why I think the still-influential Oprah should revive her movie career and move it to more modern circumstances. No more downtrodden women!) So ... I take it back. It wasn’t too soon for Lupita. I just hope Hollywood doesn’t think that Oscar was enough. It wasn’t enough for Halle, for Octavia, for Whoopi, for Hattie McDaniel, for heaven’s sake. And, it shouldn’t be enough for Lupita Nyong’o.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 17:00:05 +0000
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