Frances McDormand just inspired a real moment at the 90th Annual Academy Awards, after winning the Oscar for Best Actress.
Taking to the stage to accept the award for her leading role in the film Three Billboards, the actress used her acceptance speech to request that all the important women nominees - female directors, leading actresses, female screenplay writers and so on - stand in the auditorium, in recognition of their hard work and trailblazing attitudes.
Once she had all the women in the room on their feet, she said: 'OK look around everybody, look around ladies and gentleman because we all have stories to tell and projects we need financed.'
She thanked her husband and son,Joel and Pedro McCoen, citing them as 'stalwart individuals, well raised by their feminist mothers.'
But then, to end her speech, she landed by far the biggest punch in the face of a Hollywood industry that has had a particularly challenging year.
A nod to the Time's Up campaign, which champions an end to gender discrimination, and films like Black Panther, which have changed the way we cast people of colour on the big screen, Frances ended her speech with the line: 'Ladies and gentlemen, I have two words for you tonight: 'Inclusion Rider.''
By way of explanation, most actors and actresses working on a big film will provide the production company with a 'rider' - a list which stipulates any requests they might have for being on set. Many of these will include things like, a specific brand of bottled water or particular break times.
An 'inclusion rider,' one can assume, means that Frances intends for actors to stipulate among their requests for working conditions, that actors of mixed genders and diverse backgrounds be included in the cast, as a prerequisite.
Hear hear, we say.
Natasha Bird is the Former Executive Editor (Digital) of ELLE.
