SNL alum Andy Samberg doesn’t like Hollywood diversity critics one little bit, and if you’re not cool with the fact that the Motion Picture Academy is doing away with awarding Oscars to films based on artistic merits and incentivizing race-based casting, then you can just “fuck off.”
In a recent podcast interview with Variety, the “Lonely Island” musician and actor went after people annoyed with Hollywood’s dramatic push for diversity. Though how can Samberg attempt to be so woke when he portrayed a NYPD detective in a comedic role on Brookly Nine-Nine?
Perhaps this is Samberg’s BLM-motivated penance for humanizing a group of racist cops?
As the podcast, titled “Awards Circuit,” delved into the usual topics surrounding Hollywood award shows, like nominations, snubs, red carpets, golden statues, and overlong, preachy Meryl Streep acceptance speeches, Samberg opined on the industry’s new codification of diversity quotas, admitting they should stay and that people should just get used to ‘em.
In September, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to transform their entire award deliberation process to include judging films on their skin color, sex/gender, and victim status qualifications. According to several new rules, which are to be fully active in the Academy’s deliberations from the year 2024 onward, a film won't be considered for a nomination in several major award categories unless they have employed or cast a certain number of people from a major victim group.
According to this promulgation, dubbed the “Academy Aperture 2025 Initiative,” a film won’t be able to win an Oscar for “Best Picture” unless it meets criteria such as having “at least one" lead actor or supporting actor "from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group,” or making sure that “at least six other crew/team and technical positions (excluding Production Assistants) are from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group,” for example.
There are several other areas in which a film may diversify in order to offset lack of diversity in other areas of production, but the point still stands that Hollywood intends to incentivize films being made not merely for the sake of artistic expression, but to fulfill the Hollywood political narrative.
In principle it’s authoritarian. And just to bring that point home, Samberg had harsh and angry words for anyone who dissented from the changes: “Fuck off.”
In the interview Samberg justified the industry-changing quotas, arguing that “you can have the ‘whitest’ cast in the history of cinema and still very easily meet them by just doing a few key roles behind the camera. People who have problems with it can fuck off.” Again, the fact that the Academy is mandating anything based on sex or skin color is disgusting. Talk about encouraging production companies to hire that one token black key grip.
It’s backwards, but again, comedian Samberg will just hit you with some dirty language and a mean look and you’ll get the message. Though again, how does he plan on atoning for humanizing policemen in his woke Hollywood utopia?
