Woman behind 'inclusion rider' explains Frances McDormand's Oscar speech
Many people watching the Oscars were left scratching their heads when Frances McDormand finished her speech with the phrase “I have two words for you: inclusion rider.”
An “inclusion rider” is a clause that an actor can insist be inserted in their contract that requires cast and crew on a film to meet a certain level of diversity.
The concept was explored in a TED talk in 2016 by Stacy Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California. Having examined the data on diversity in US-produced films, which showed that casting was not representative of the population, she suggested that an “equity clause” or an “inclusion rider” could be part of the solution.
“The typical feature film has about 40 to 45 speaking characters in it” she explained. “I would argue that only 8 to 10 of those characters are actually relevant to the story. The remaining 30 or so roles, there’s no reason why those minor roles can’t match or reflect the demography of where the story is taking place. An equity rider by an A-lister in their contract can stipulate that those roles reflect the world in which we actually live.”
Smith has likened the implementation of it to the NFL’s Rooney Rule.
McDormand was awarded best actress for her performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
She opened by saying “If I fall over, pick me up because I’ve got some things to say”, and then went on to urge all of the female nominees in the room to stand up.
After McDormand’s speech, some actors immediately offered public support to the idea on social media, with Brie Larson committing to it.
“The real goal is to counter bias in the auditioning and casting process,” she said, explaining that the contract could also stipulate that if the film ultimately failed to meet the requirements, the distributor would have to pay a “penalty” to a fund that supports female directors and other underrepresented groups.
Smith said A-list stars could use inclusion riders to ensure proper representation and inclusion of women, people of color, LGBT people and people with disabilities.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/20...inclusion-rider-frances-mcdormand-oscars-2018
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