Joanna Lumley says gender-neutral awards could hurt women’s chances of winning
‘Absolutely Fabulous’ star described the concept as ‘a bit weird’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Joanna Lumley has criticised the prospect of gender-neutral awards in the entertainment industry.
In recent years, awards bodies have faced criticism for segregating some awards into gender categories, such as the Best Actor and Best Actress catagories at the Oscars.
The practice is considered outdated by some in the industry, and critics have pointed out the system forces nonbinary actors to compete within a gender catagory that is not their own.
Some ceremonies, including the Brit Awards, have abandoned gendered awards catagories entirely, while Bafta has said it is taking the issue under consideration.
Speaking on TalkTV, Lumley appeared critical of gender-neutral awards, however, describing it as “a bit weird”.
“I know that if my name was just put up as best actor against lots of men, I wouldn’t have a chance. But as best actress, you might,” said the Absolutely Fabulous star (per Deadline).
This year’s Brit Awards was criticised for featuring an all-male list of nominees in its Artist of the Year catagory.
Lumley also criticised the awards process in general, saying: “When I read about the Oscars, and I realized that to get even onto a list to be part of the shortlist, you have to go around lobbying people and promising things, and having lunch.
“These are the stars who are up for it. You have to go, as it were, tarting around to get people in favour, I’m not sure about it.”
Despite Lumley’s reservations, figures such as 1917 filmmaker Sam Mendes have described the shift towards a gender-neutral awards system across the board as “inevitable”.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Speaking about the lack of female nominees among the Brits’ recent Artist of the Year line-up, artist Sam Smith said last month: “It’s a shame.
“Things are moving forward, but it’s obvious it’s not there yet. From seeing that [Best Artist] list, there is still a long way to go.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments