Frances McDormand Encouraged Hollywood To Add Inclusion Riders
Last night, the Academy did what everyone knew they were going to do and gave Frances McDormand the award for Best Actress for her performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. And Frances McDormand delivered what we all expected of her: the outfit equivalent of cranking back a La-Z-Boy in the den, and a frantic acceptance speech free of fucks.
Frances began by pulling a Jerri Blank and said she’s “got some things to say” in a tone your mom usually reserves for your neighbor who still has their Halloween decorations up. Frances got all the formalities (like thanking her husband and son) out of the way first before putting down her Oscar and asking every woman nominated to stand up with her. Then she instructed everyone to look around and take notice at the women who “all have stories to tell” and “projects we need financed.” Frances closed her speech with two words: inclusion rider. Not as much applause, which might have been because everyone was reaching for their phones to ask Siri what an inclusion rider is (“Here’s what I’ve got for delusional spider“).
Whitney Cummings explained on Twitter what an inclusion rider is: it’s a contract stipulation to ensure diversity on movie sets.
an inclusion rider is something actors put into their contracts to ensure gender and racial equality in hiring on movie sets. We should support this for a billion reasons, but if you can't find a reason to, here's one: it will make movies better.
— Whitney Cummings (@WhitneyCummings) March 5, 2018
The Hollywood Reporter points out that the term first started floating around Hollywood back in 2014, but then it was called an “equity rider.” Same thought though, that actors higher up on the food chain should demand a diverse cast to reflect the demographics of reality.
Also, USA Today says that Frances actually lost her award sometime after the ceremony at the Governor’s Ball, and left without it. Her rep confirmed that she had lost it after her name was engraved on it, and that she was reunited with it later in the evening. I’m guessing they were reunited after her Oscar erected three tiny billboards on the afterparty bar that read: “LEFT AT THE PARTY. I KNOW I’M JUST A DOORSTOP, BUT HOW COME, FRANCES?” TMZ says that the guy who allegedly stole Frances’ Oscar at the Governor’s Ball was caught and arrested on felony grand theft.
Here’s more of Frances, wearing a gown that I assume was inspired by the second-best selling rug on Overstock.com, while backstage in the press room with fellow Acting category winners Sam Rockwell, Gary Oldman, and Allison Janney.
Pics: Wenn.com