Female nominees, it seems, are tired of simply engaging in the same old small talk about the make of their gowns, the jewels they are wearing, or the footwear they’re flaunting (not to mention the intimate secrets of their personal beautification process).
So they have been pushing back in the form of #AskHerMore, a campaign launched last year that’s being waged by women in Hollywood wanting to broaden the scope of their pre-telecast conversations beyond fashion. Whether it be Cate Blanchett’s pointed question to a cameraman at last year’s SAG Awards, or contenders refusing to raise their hands for E! Entertainment’s “Mani-Cam,” actresses are starting to speak out about some of the more sexist treatment they face.
So, can we expect a red carpet rebellion at this year’s Academy Awards? Far from it.
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Eddie Redmayne, up for best actor for “The Theory of Everything,” has been a regular presence at events on TV. And although he hasn’t been nominated for an Academy Award, Ellar Coltrane of “Boyhood” has been working the style angle, becoming a red carpet star and the face of Richard Linklater’s coming-of-age epic. And like Nyong’o, whose claim to fame prior to “12 Years a Slave” was an MTV Base show, Coltrane has shot to overnight stardom . Clad in sharp Armani tuxedos and plush velvet Isaia suits, he has gamely chatted his way through E! pre-telecasts.
So if you tune in on Sunday, don’t expect the stars to be camera-shy, even if they are cringing inside at the questions they are being asked. After all, while some of them will be collecting awards for work already completed, the Oscar pre-show is also a chance for many of them to be auditioning for some more work — whether it’s on the silver screen or a magazine cover.
And for that reason alone, the red carpet circus isn’t going anywhere.
