The name of Richard Dreyfuss is well recognized in the film industry, since in his work history he has productions such as Shark, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and What happened to Bob? Winner of an Academy Award and recognized for being one of the most commercial faces on the big screen, he is in the eye of the hurricane due to some statements offered in an interview with the chain PBS.
The actor had a conversation with the program Firing Line With Margaret Hoover in which he spoke about different topics in the film industry and it was a particular fact that generated controversy when the journalist told him that from 2024, films will have new inclusion standards to be selected in the Oscar Awards contest.
“They make me vomit”was the response of Dreyfuss. “This is art. Also a form of trade and generates profit, but it is art. No one should tell me as an artist that I have to give in to the latest and most current idea of what morality is.”, indicated Dreyfuss.
The actor also pointed out that in his opinion there is not a minority or majority in the country for this “I have to attract attention like this”: “I’m sorry, but I don’t think we have to protect a minority in the country like this”.
To illustrate his argument, Dreyfuss used the work you did Laurence Olivier as the protagonist of the film othello 1951. According to the actor, this production would be the perfect target to accuse him of blackface, since the Englishman was the last white man to play the character in Shakespeare’s work.
“Oliver was the last white actor to play Othello, and he did a great job playing a black man…Are you telling me I can never play a black man? Or if you are not Jewish you will not be able to do ‘The Merchant of Venice’, we are crazy, ”he concluded in the interview.
It should be noted that the new standards to which the actor referred were discussed for the first time in 2020 and that they will be institutionalized for deliveries that take place from 2024.
The Hollywood Academy has stipulated that productions aspiring to best film must meet at least two of four standards, which are: representation on screen, in a creative team, opportunities for access to the audiovisual industry and/or promotion of audiences.
For the section of screen representation and narrative, the tape will have to include one of the following three criteria:
1. That one of its protagonists is from a racial minority
2. That 30% of the secondary cast be from underrepresented groups
3. That the argument focuses on the history of one of those groups.
For the section of creative teamthe three criteria among which one must meet are:
1. At least two of the creative direction positions must be from underrepresented groups
2. That they are part of six lower positions
3. That at least 30% of the team is from those groups
By racial minority the Academy cites: Asian, Latino/Hispanic, Black/African American, Native American, Middle Eastern, Native Hawaiian/Pacific, and “other underrepresented ethnicities or races.”
Underrepresented groups on the screen are understood to be: women, racial minorities, LGBTQ+ community or people with different capacities.
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