The 2017 Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and while all four acting categories saw the inclusion of actors of color, one acting category in particular stood out above the rest: the category for Actress in a Supporting Role.
Viola Davis (Fences), Naomie Harris (Moonlight) and Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures) all received Actress in a Supporting Role nominations, and the trio made history in the process.
Viola, Naomie and Octavia make up the first-ever black majority in an Oscar category.
Congrats to our Supporting Actress nominees! #Oscars #OscarNoms pic.twitter.com/lvth7OEgxL
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) January 24, 2017
Actors of color have served as the majority in an Oscar category before (for example, in 1984, Adolph Caesar, Noriyuki “Pat” Morita and Haing S. Ngor received nods for Actor in a Supporting Role), but this year’s Actress in a Supporting Role category is unprecedented.
It’s also worth noting that Viola is the first black woman to receive three Oscar nominations.
Congratulations, Viola, Naomie and Octavia!
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