Andrea Riseborough, an actress, has stated that the controversy surrounding her Oscar nomination has "deeply impacted" her.
While black actresses were excluded, her unexpected inclusion in the leading actress category has generated a lot of discussion in Hollywood in recent weeks.
According to Riseborough, she is "coming to terms with what the nomination means, for me and for others.".
She also referred to the film industry as being "abhorrently unequal" in her first interview following the debate.
She told the Hollywood Reporter, "I am grateful for the conversation because it must be had. "It has had a major impact on me. ".
Black actresses like Viola Davis and Danielle Deadwyler were anticipated to compete for best actress this year.
However, both were not present when the nominations were made public in January. Instead, leading contenders Riseborough, Ana de Armas, and Michelle Williams were honored alongside Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh.
In To Leslie, in which she plays an alcoholic mother in Texas struggling to make ends meet after blowing her $190,000 (£157,000) lottery winnings, Riseborough received a nomination for best leading actress.
Following her performance in Till, Deadwyler's exclusion from the category caused particular industry backlash, with the director of the movie, Chinonye Chukwu, accusing Hollywood of "unabashed misogyny toward Black women.".
In the 1950s setting of Till, Deadwyler played Mamie Till-Mobley, a grieving mother who fights for justice after her son was lynched. The actress's performance received a ton of praise from the critics.
The Academy has been accused of misogynoir, or misogyny directed at Black women, as a result of Deadwyler's snub in the category.
When asked how the controversy had affected her, Riseborougbh responded, "It's been confusing. The more time I have to think about everything, the more I believe I will comprehend. ".
"Awards campaigning is as acerbically exclusive as it has always been," she continued. I'm not yet sure what policies will promote meritocracy the most effectively. I've been trying to find them, and I'll keep trying. ".
After a number of Hollywood A-listers ran social media campaigns in support of Riseborough, hosting To Leslie screenings for Academy members, and posting positive reviews of the movie, Riseborough was nominated.
In November, one of the first well-known faces to promote the movie was actress Helen Hunt. Following soon after were other actors like Blanchett, Kate Winslet, Edward Norton, Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Sarah Paulson.
The ostensibly grassroots campaign raised concerns about why supporting black actresses had not received the same amount of attention.
Deadwyler stated that Hollywood was "deeply impacted by systemic racism" when asked about her rejection earlier this month on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.
When speaking about the controversy, Riseborough said: "It is not only necessary that this conversation be sparked, but it also makes sense that it would be.
"Opportunity disparities in the film industry are abhorrent. I'm careful to avoid speaking for other people's experiences because they are better qualified to do so and I want to listen. ".
Yeoh, a fellow nominee, said: "I love [Viola and Danielle] to the extreme and wish we were all getting Oscars, but it's tough," in an interview with Radio 4's Today earlier this month. I had to wait 40 years before I was even nominated.
"Each and every actor and actress puts their all into these films, but you never really start to think you're going to get nominated. Our desired narratives are more significant. ".
After reviewing the campaign that resulted in Riseborough's nomination, the Academy, the organization that oversees the Oscars, has stated that it will not revoke her nomination.
"We did find social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern," they continued. Direct discussions about these strategies are taking place with the accountable parties. ".
The official To Leslie account and some specific Academy members are suspected of violating the rules by mentioning other actresses by name while promoting Riseborough.
Members are allowed to support specific actors, according to Oscar rules, but they are not permitted to publicly compare them to actors with whom they are competing.
The inclusion of Riseborough in the best actress category wasn't the only one to spark debate.
Williams fought for a nomination in the leading actress category despite what many people thought of her performance in Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans as a supporting one.
