The Monday announcement of the 2020 Oscar nominations left many shocked that no recognition was given to Awkwafina, co-star Zhao Shuzen or director Lulu Wang for their work on The Farewell.
While on a press tour for her new comedy Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens, the actress shared about the reactions among The Farewell’s cast and crew.
“We had a couple of text message exchanges, but everything [was] just about how appreciative we all are of how long this run has been,” Awkwafina said. “The Farewell came out last January at Sundance and we really didn’t know where it would take us. To see all the attention that it’s gotten, that feels like a win.”
The Farewell follows the true story of a Chinese family attempting to keep their grandmother’s terminal illness a secret and has earned recognition from BAFTAs, Critics’ Choice Awards, Independent Spirit Awards and more. For her performance, Awkwafina was nominated for numerous guild and industry awards and was considered a frontrunner for a historic Best Actress nomination at the Oscars. A woman of Asian descent has not been nominated since 1935.
The Academy snub of the film came just a week after Awkwafina became the first Asian American actress to win Best Actress in a Motion Picture at the Golden Globes.
Although she expressed gratitude for the overwhelming praise the film has received so far, Awkwafina noted that the issue of lack of representation should not be dismissed, the Daily Beast reports.
“There were amazing performances this year,” she said of the Oscar nominations. “They are all warranted as they should have been. But we can’t ignore movies that women helmed, including mine.”
Awkwafina said that while representation is largely still lacking in pop culture and organizations like the Academy Awards, inspiring steps are continually being made by artists from marginalized communities.
“There’s always more work to be done,” she said. “With [Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens] and with the movies we’ve seen this year, representation existed in those movies. That’s what I know. In terms of anything else, I can’t be more grateful than to do what I love to do. To be recognized even a little bit for that is great.”
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