The Hollywood Foreign Press, the small group behind the Golden Globe Awards, has less than 100 members yet holds outsized influence in Hollywood.
That influence has come under fire in recent months when it was revealed that of those 90, not a single member was Black, while subsequent revelations sexual harassment and racist and sexist remarks from the group’s members continue raise problems for the HFPA.
So far, the group’s response has basically been a promise to do better, something that Netflix content guru Ted Sarandos announcing he was pulling all Netflix content from HFPA-related activities until the group demonstrates the concrete measures it plans to take to address its “systemic diversity and inclusion challenges.”
RELATED: Mark Ruffalo, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos Call Out HFPA Over ‘Crucial Issues’
Meanwhile, actor Mark Ruffalo likewise responded on Friday, telling Deadline that he “cannot feel proud or happy about being a recipient of this [Golden Globe] award.”
Now, Ruffalo’s “Avengers” co-star Scarlett Johansson is likewise jointing the boycott — something she revealed she’d already self-instituted years earlier.
“As an actor promoting a film, one is expected to participate in awards season by attending press conferences as well as awards shows,” Johansson said in her statement, as reported by Deadline.
“In the past, this has often meant facing sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment. It is the exact reason why I, for many years, refused to participate in their conferences,” Johansson continued.
“The HFPA is an organization that was legitimized by the likes of Harvey Weinstein to amass momentum for Academy recognition, and the industry followed suit,” she added. “Unless there is necessary fundamental reform within the organization, I believe it is time that we take a step back from the HFPA and focus on the importance and strength of unity within our unions and the industry as a whole.”
