Scarlett Johansson is the latest celebrity powerhouse to call out the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for not putting substantial reforms in place and has urged the industry to step back from the organisation until this happens.
Johansson’s statement comes even as her Marvel co-star Mark Ruffalo called out the organization, along with Netflix, Amazon Studios and Time’s Up that have individually taken objection with HFPA’s latest reform plan that calls for a greater diversity push and calling into question member practices.
In a statement to Variety, Johansson revealed one of the reasons she had distanced herself from HFPA press events was due to the sexist questions and remarks that came her way.
Scarlett Johansson calls for Hollywood to distance itself from ‘sexist’ HFPA
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Scarlett Johansson joined a number of stars in lambasting the association
Hollywood A-lister Scarlett Johansson is the latest star to speak out against the organization behind the Golden Globes.
Following the many accusations it has been facing over lack of diversity, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has been catching flak from a number of industry bigwigs after it admitted in February to having no black members.
The
Black Widow star joined a number of stars in lambasting the association, and labelling it as “an organization that was legitimized by the likes of Harvey Weinstein to amass momentum for Academy recognition.”
Scarlett Johansson urges boycott of sexist Golden Globes unless organizers implement major reforms - after they came under fire for having NO black members in their voting body
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) is made up of 90 international entertainment journalists who vote on Golden Globe Award winners
The organization came under fire earlier this year when it was revealed there was zero black members
Critics additionally claimed that the HFPA was also less inclusive to women and members of the LGBTQ community
Earlier this week, the HFPA approved reforms to make their organization more inclusive; they vowed to hire diversity consultants and increase membership
Scarlett Johansson joins criticism of Golden Globes body amid sexism accusations
The Guardian
US actress Scarlett Johansson on Saturday urged the film industry to “step back” from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) as criticism of the opaque film industry group, which controls the Golden Globe awards, continues to mount for sexism and racism.
The Avengers star said in a statement that the “HFPA is an organization that was legitimized by the likes of Harvey Weinstein to amass momentum for Academy recognition.”
Johansson said that “as an actor promoting a film,” participating in the organization’s news conferences and award shows “has often meant facing sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment.”
Following promises to diversify and do better, Phillip Berk, an HFPA member and former eight-term president of the organization, sent an email to his fellow members, as well as staff and the org’s general counsel and COO, calling Black Lives Matter a “racist hate movement” and comparing BLM activists to Charles Manson because both, he said, wanted to “start a race war.” Yikes. The HFPA was also the subject of a Los Angeles Times exposé which detailed a history of corruption and ethical conflicts within the group.
The HFPA saga was such a corrupt clusterf-ck that even crisis communications firm Smith & Company (aka the firm that inspired