Whoopi Goldberg is an Oscars legend, having won an Academy Award for “Ghost” and hosted the ceremony four times and served as an Academy board member. So perhaps moviegoers might want to listen to Goldberg when she says there are no such thing as Oscar snubs amid the uproar over Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie missing out on nominations for best director and best actress, respectively, at the 2024 Oscars.
“Barbie” earned a total of eight nominations, including best picture, and Gerwig is a nominee for screenwriting and so is Robbie as one of the film’s producers. And yet, shutting Gerwig out of best director and Robbie out of best actress has resulted in backlash against the Academy.
“The message of all of that is not lost on me, but one question I have — and maybe Whoopi is the only one that can answer this — when does it become a snub?” Sara Haines asked Goldberg on “The View” (via Entertainment Weekly). “I know the film, I know the greatness and the money, but that assumes someone else shouldn’t be in there.”
Goldberg answered by saying “everybody doesn’t win” and “you don’t get everything you want to get.”
“There are no snubs,” she added. “That’s what you have to keep in mind: Not everybody gets a prize, and it is subjective. Movies are subjective. The movies you love may not be loved by the people who are voting.”
Because Gerwig and Robbie were nominated for best director and best actress at the majority of Oscar pre-cursor awards, including the Golden Globes and Critic’s Choice Awards, many pundits thought their Oscar nominations would be a no-brainer, hence the snub outrage. Gerwig also got nominated at the Directors Guild of America awards. Their film’s $1.4 billion gross, the highest earner of 2023, combined with the critical acclaim “Barbie” received also led many to think Gerwig and Robbie wouldn’t be left out of these races.
Ryan Gosling, who earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor thanks to his performance as Ken, spoke out against the Oscarsfor snubbing Gerwig and Robbie.
“No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius. To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement,” Gosling wrote in a statement. “Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history. Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees. Having said that, I am so happy for America Ferrera and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film.”
America Ferrara, who plays Gloria in “Barbie” and earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress,toldPvNewthat it was “incredibly disappointing” to see Gerwig and Robbie’s names missing from the best director and best actress categories.
“Greta has done just about everything that a director could do to deserve it,” Ferrera explained. “Creating this world, and taking something that didn’t have inherent value to most people and making it a global phenomenon. It feels disappointing to not see her on that list.”
Even Hillary Clinton weighed in on the snubs, sending Gerwig and Robbie a message over X that read: “While it can sting to win the box office but not take home the gold, yourmillions of fans love you. You’re both so much more thanKenough.”
“Barbie” is still very much in the running for the best picture Oscar (although many pundits agree Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is the frontrunner), while Gerwig is a strong contender for best adapted screenplay alongside co-writer Noah Baumbach. The 2024 Oscars are set for Sunday, March 10.
