None of the films or series ended up receiving Golden Globe nominations, despite other honors
A spokesman for HFPA, which on Monday promised to have at least 13% black members by the end of 2021, in the wake of a growing reaction to its lack of diversity, declined to comment on this story. But an individual close to the group said that HFPA gave a press conference to “Bridgerton” after the show premiered, scheduled one to “Queen & Slim” that the studio canceled and did not give a press conference to “Girls Trip” because of travel conflicts.
Press conferences with HFPA members are important elements to raise awareness about films and TV programs among the group of foreign journalists who vote for the annual Golden Globe. HFPA does not grant this privilege to all projects. In the case of projects led by Black, insiders told TheWrap that there is often not enough interest to justify scheduling a press conference.
An individual who worked on the projections told TheWrap that many press conferences are canceled or postponed just because of the lack of RSVPs. “There is an expense for everyone to get together, get the space, make the magnetic force and then, we do not want to enter the room that has only four or five people,” said the source. “This happens all the time.”
Read too: HFPA pledges to admit at least 13 black members this year in the new Golden Globes engagement
“Bridgerton” (courtesy of Netflix)
But a second HFPA source said the group would often refuse to cover a film or program if event organizers felt that the talent was not famous enough to justify a sale to foreign publications for which members write stories.
This may partly explain the lack of interest in projects based on racial issues, such as Ava DuVernay’s Netflix 2019 limited series “When They See Us”. The show was completely closed by Globes last year, despite praiseworthy reviews and 16 Emmy nominations (and two wins, including lead actor Jharrel Jerome). Update: DuVernay responded to this story with a tweet about his experience at the press conference.
For the WHEN THEY SEE US / HFPA press conference, less than 20 of them attended. Based on the quality of the questions, I asked jokingly, “Did any of you see the series?” Crickets. More people entered the room when the photo was about to be taken, at which point two were selling their scripts. https://t.co/pBWbUz2FZ3 pic.twitter.com/5XbiSeOBDz
– Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 16, 2021
HBO’s UK series, “I May Destroy You”, which was critically acclaimed in 2020, was also excluded from this year’s Globe nominations.
In the case of “Bridgerton,” the successful Netflix series produced by Shonda Rhimes, an individual close to the project said that HFPA initially declined the streamer’s request for a press conference last December and suddenly requested one a few weeks later – just a few days before the deadline for the Golden Globe polls.
“They refused to check out the program’s pre-launch,” said the source, referring to a press conference held before the program’s launch. “They came back after the launch, like many people who didn’t know what it was … After the New Year, it was, ‘We have to do this’, three or four days before the polls close.” The individual close to HFPA said the group held a press conference with stars Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor on January 8, just before the poll ended.
In the end, “Bridgerton” was completely despised by the nominations for the Globe. The show received two nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards next month, best ensemble in a dramatic series and Page as the lead actor in a dramatic series.
Read too: Tiffany Haddish Breaks Down in Tears Over Grammy Win on the set of ‘Kids Say’ (Video)
“Girls Trip” (courtesy of Universal)
According to individuals with knowledge of the situation, HFPA also declined requests from Universal to host events for “Girls Trip”, a 2017 comedy starring Tiffany Haddish, and “Queen and Slim”, a 2019 drama written by Lena Waithe and directed by Melina Matsoukas.
HFPA did not give a press conference for “Girls Trip”, a fun comedy by director Malcolm Lee that received rave reviews for Haddish as part of a group of friends who travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival and rekindle their relationships. The film was a huge success that grossed $ 140 million at the box office – and Haddish won the Best Supporting Actress award from the New York Film Critics Circle. But the comedy received no nomination for the Globe.
Jada Pinkett Smith, who co-starred in “Girls Trip” with Haddish, went public with her discontent with the way she said the film was handled by HFPA. “I’m not upset because @TiffanyHaddish or @GirlsTripMovie didn’t get a nom … I’m discouraged that Hollywood Foreign Press / goldenglobes didn’t even WATCH the film,” Pinkett Smith tweeted.
“People were irritated at the time,” said an individual close to the film to TheWrap. “Tiffany Haddish did not give a press conference. She was not nominated … (Her team) was disappointed at the time, and that slowed the conversation about Oscar. ”A Universal representative declined to comment.
The individual close to HFPA said that no press conference was held for the film because members were unable to travel to New Orleans for the release.
Read too: 100 Hollywood PR firms pull celebrity clients from HFPA events pending ‘explicit plans’ for change
“Queen & Slim” (Campbell Addy / Universal Pictures)
The 2019 film “Queen & Slim” generated “many comings and goings” during the schedule of screenings and a press conference, said an individual with knowledge of this project, adding that there were many non-attendances and failures for HFPA members’ RSVP.
The film, starring Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith as a couple on a first date whose night takes an unexpected turn when a policeman pulls them over for a minor traffic violation, has received many recognition awards from other groups. The drama won Best Picture at the BET Awards and received nominations for Kaluuya at the American Film Awards and for Matsoukas at the DGA Awards.
Director Matsoukas told Variety in 2019 that members had skipped several screenings of “Queen & Slim” that had been set for them and therefore were not surprised when the film was rejected for nominations for the Globe.
A person with knowledge of the project confirmed that Universal had organized the “Queen & Slim” exhibitions and that few HFPA members attended. “They had screening sessions and did not attend and refused a presser,” said the individual.
However, the first HFPA insider said that a press conference “had been on the calendar for quite a while” with Kaluuya, Turner-Smith, Matsoukas and Waithe until the studio decided to cancel. A visit to the set was also canceled by the studio due to a change in the shooting schedule. Universal declined to comment.
Insiders said they see unequal treatment of black-led projects as yet another evidence of prejudice, another challenge that the HFPA must face in its high-risk battle to save its reputation amid growing frustration at the group’s lack of diversity. The issue became a rallying cry for a radical change, triggered by the fact that the 87-member organization made up of foreign journalists has no black members and has been accused of self-negotiation through $ 2 million in annual payments to members for basic committee work.
Read too: HFPA pledges to admit at least 13 black members this year in the new Golden Globes engagement
Criticisms of HFPA and its lack of diversity are not new. As early as 2013, TheWrap reported that a black candidate from the UK was rejected by an overwhelming vote. However, observers say the recent Black Lives Matter movement made the focus on the lack of Black members impossible to ignore in 2021.
A few days before last month’s ceremony, Time’s Up launched a protest campaign #TimesUpGlobes against the group’s lack of diversity. Hollywood influencers like Ava DuVernay, Judd Apatow and Shonda Rhimes have teamed up to post statements urging the organization to commit to diversification.
Since then, HFPA members have asked the Board of Directors to step down, as reported exclusively by TheWrap, and the organization has hired a diversity consultant and an outside law firm to make “transformational changes”. Still, on Monday, more than 100 Hollywood public relations companies demanded that HFPA enact “deep and lasting” changes or its customers would not “attend HFPA events or interviews” going forward.
The blackout threat can be devastating for HFPA, whose members earn a living by writing articles at press conferences and movie meetings with Hollywood stars. For example, Marvel’s blockbuster “Black Widow” will be released on May 7, starring Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz and others. Under this action, the stars would not be available.
Diane Haithman contributed to this report.