Nineteen of the 20 acting nominees for the Oscars this year are white – the highest number since the outcry in 2015 and 2016 known as #OscarsSoWhite.

The one exception is British-Nigerian actor Cynthia Erivo.

She made her name on Broadway and is now nominated for playing slave-turned-abolitionist Harriet Tubman in Harriet.

Erivo has two nominations: one for best lead actress and the other in the best original song category, in the same film.

The Oscar nominations come a week after the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) announced an all-white line-up of acting nominations.

Erivo cancelled her scheduled performance at the Baftas following the all-white nominations list.

If Erivo does win the Oscar, she will become only the second black person to win in the best actress category, after Halle Berry in 2002.

Not only that, but at 33 she will become the youngest person to become a so-called Egot – the winner of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony Award –

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.