British-born Nigerian actress and singer Cynthia Onyedinmanasu Chinasaokwu Erivo has been nominated for Best Actress and Best Song in Harriet at the 2020 Oscars.
“To receive two Oscar nominations for a film paying tribute to Harriet Tubman, a person whose heart and spirit are the embodiment of courage, makes this morning’s news beyond anything I could have ever imagined,” Erivo said in a statement to CNN on Monday.
“This is more than a dream come true. When I got the opportunity to play this incredible woman,” she continued, “I felt truly honored that Kasi [Lemmons, the film’s director] and our producers saw fit to have me play the part.
“Being asked to co-write and perform the song in the film was the icing on an already wonderful cake. I continue to feel overwhelmed with gratitude today to the Academy for recognizing my performance and our song ‘Stand Up’.” Cynthia Erivo will most likely perform the song at the Oscars event this year.
Erivo’s nominations have sparked up a lot of conversations that we will be breaking down here on eelive.
Diversity
Erivo is the only person of colour in the Best Actress category. The other actresses nominated in this category are Scarlett Johansson, Saoirse Ronan, Charlize Theron and Renée Zellweger; all white women.
Cynthia Erivo is notably vocal about her distaste for whitewashed award shows. In fact, she declined an invite to sing at the BAFTAs for this very reason.
“The reason I didn’t perform is because I don’t think it’s proper representation, as a woman of color, of people of color in this industry,” she told Variety on January 9.
“Let’s see how (the review) does, whether it affects next year or the year after, who knows,” she continued. “But I definitely think it’s time for a change, we can’t overlook it anymore.”
Speaking on being the only black woman nominated in this category, she said, “It’s not enough that I’m the only one. It just isn’t,” she said, noting that “far too much work was done this year by incredible women and men of color that should be celebrated.”
EGOT
The 33-year-old received nominations for Best Actress and Best Song for the film Harriet. The nominations are the first she has earned. If Cynthia Erivo receives either of the Oscars, she will become the youngest person ever to become an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards) winner.
Among those who have attained EGOT status include Whoopi Goldberg and John Legend, the latter of which became the first black man and the youngest person ever to achieve the status after he won an Emmy for his role in Jesus Christ Superstar in 2018.
Erivo would also be one of just 16 people who have reached the coveted milestone. She would also be the fastest, having collected all four trophies in less than four years.
The current record holder Robert Lopez took 10 years to achieve the feat and completed it at age 39.
Casting controversies
Harriet, a biographical film on abolitionist Harriet Tubman, hit theatres last year. When the news got out that Erivo was going to portray Tubman, she faced criticism for the casting. This was because she is British and not an African-American actor who would be a descendant of slaves.
Erivo addressed the backlash to the casting during an interview with Oprah Winfrey last year. “I think that the best actor should have the role. And I think that there is a world in which we can play different people,” Erivo said.
“Like, I didn’t become an actress to play loads of English women. I became an actress to play really wonderful characters.”
We are totally rooting for Cynthia Erivo to win this and many other awards. Congratulations on breaking records, Cynthia!