Two weeks ago, the Golden Globes kicked off what may be the most politically charged awards season in Hollywood history, playing out against the backdrop of Donald Trump's inauguration. Meryl Streep's glorious, devastating speech against Trump drew a groundswell of support across the industry, along with plenty of ire, not least (predictably) from the president-elect himself.
While it should be no surprise to anyone that Hollywood is overwhelmingly liberal, progressive, and anti-Trump, moments like this are a double-edged sword for the producers behind awards shows. A speech like Streep's can draw more attention and publicity to the awards, but also risks alienating a huge segment of the audience. But Michael De Luca, producer of this year's Oscars ceremony, is all for it.
"These forums are rare," De Luca told The Hollywood Reporter. "Spontaneity helps all these shows. The Globes were dull. One or two of these moments made the show spontaneous. I don't like this attitude that just because someone's a celebrity, their right of free speech is taken away." Amen to that.
"If you're watching the Oscars, you're not going to turn off the TV because there's a political speech," added Joe Roth, producer of the 2004 Oscars. "At most, you're annoyed by it. If they don't turn the TV off at some of those eight-minute [montages] that go on and on and have nothing to do with the moment, they're not going to turn off a speech about politics."
The 2017 Oscar nominations will be announced on Tuesday, January 24.
