Does She Have a Point? Michelle Rodriguez Says You Have To Be Black and Trashy To Get an Oscar

May 30th, 2012 - By Brande Victorian

Source: hawtcelebs.com

We say it all the time, and by we, I mean black people. Ever since Halle and Denzel took home their Oscars in 2002 for “Training Day” and “Monster’s Ball,” black people have felt the only time anyone of us could get an Oscar or even a nomination was to be the bad guy. That’s not quite the same as “trashy” but Michelle Rodriguez’s thinking appears to be along the same lines, hopefully.

In a recent interview with Vulture, Michelle was asked how she felt about Lee Daniel’s latest film The Paperboy which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and was definitely not a crowd pleaser:

“I loved The Paperboy!” she said before speaking on the negative reviews it received. “I say f*** them because they don’t get it. He’s so good at keeping me entertained. When I don’t like the dialogue, I’m amused by the visuals. And when I don’t like the visuals, I’m amused by the dialogue. It’s always switching up senses. I’m intrigued by his ability to capture me in a theater. It’s not easy to capture me in a theater — I’m ADD like that.”

But what about that scene where Nicole Kidman apparently urinates on Zac Efron before she has an orgasm?

“I f***ing loved it. One of my friends said, ‘She’s going to get nominated for an Oscar for that.’ I was like, ‘Nah, man. She’s not black!’ I laugh, but it’s also very sad. It makes me want to cry. But I really believe. You have to be trashy and black to get nominated. You can’t just be trashy.”

Perhaps her phrasing is a tad odd, but I think we get the point. Even when it comes to The Help, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer certainly weren’t trashy, but their characters weren’t symbols of one of the brightest aspects of African American history either, which is why there was so much mixed emotion about their sweeping nominations this past awards season. Michelle shouldn’t forget white actresses who have won for trashy parts though, like Charlize Theron who immediately comes to mind for the 2003 film Monster which won her 17 awards, including an Oscar for Best Actress.

I’m thinking Michelle Rodriguez might need more people for allowing herself to be quoted in a way that’s actually sort of trashy itself but I don’t know if that takes away from the fact that she has a point. What do you think about what she said?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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  • ralph

    Chill .none of you are smart enough understand her point. Sit back on the porch and relax

  • Gmarie

    I didn’t take her comments the way it is usually discussed in the black community where many feel that the blacks who win oscars only do so when playing unappealing roles. I literally read her comments to say that Nicole Kidman would only get an Oscar for this role if she were both black and trashy (as a person). I could be wrong but I doubt it.

  • http://www.facebook.com/minkysmom82 Alexis Morris

    what she said didn’t sound right. black and trashy? I could see if she meant, in order to get nominated as a black person, you have to be in a ‘trashy’ role. but that isn’t what she meant. I see plenty of ‘trashy black’ movies and those people aren’t getting nominated. smh.

  • Gray4791

    She doesn’t make sense because white people win for portraying negative roles as well. Heck, they win the most. But here she is giving props to a critically panned movie and to Nicole Kidman who hasn’t been a real person in about ten years. Michelle sounds like one of those latinas who thinks that they are white and she was probably speaking to a white friend when she was making that racist statement. She’s a drunk druggie and hollywood would never accept her as a true leading lady. She would’ve never received Paula Patton’s role opposite Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible or Halle’s role in Die Another Day. She’s a filler actress…that’s all she’ll ever be. In fact, she could feel these….

    • Mo

      Here’s the thing, though, white people really haven’t won for portraying negative roles. Go look at a list of past Oscar winners and see for yourself. The author of the post mentioned Charlize Theron in Monster because that was the one rare role and that was biographical.

      So not caring for Michelle Rodriguez is one thing – but you can’t say her words, however poorly phrased, are totally off base. And she wasnt saying anything about herself and her career trajectory…

  • guest

    I said it once and I’ll say it again….I DON’T like her.  If she is in a movie I will turn the channel.  I won’t think about, I don’t care whose in it, just turn it. Every since she admired her mom for smelling her fathers dirty draws, I was like, that’s a wrap.  That “shim” needs to go back to rehab.  Oh and btw……I can’t stand this, this, this……whatever it is.  

  • Blogsmostrelevant

    OMG Hollywood and black people…. Horrible relationship… They just nominate black women cause Halle Berry embarrassed them with her acceptance speech… LMAO!!! Lets not forget its Hard Out Here For A Pimp won best song…. LMAO  Remember the Oscar nominated…. Hustle and Flow. 
       Blacks in Hollywood get let off the hook for some of their ridiculousness also….  The fact that Hollywood has now set the Black Beauty Standard is more upsetting than blacks and their oscar wins….  Black people do not control their own image… Thats a huge Problem.. 

  • Elle8u

    When people like MR. Michelle R. ( of NO consequence) speak, why even bother us with it. You’re wasting time, energy and news space. For sure she’s a hater, her acting, hell even just looking at her irritates the hell out of me. I have actually not watched movies for the sole reason that she was in it. I’m fairly certain she’ll never have to dust off any shelf space for any kind of award statue.

  • http://www.facebook.com/RosarioRed Rosario Stefania Scarsci

    I hardly ever listen to anything that Michael Rodriguez has to say as he is no longer relevant in the entertainment industry. 

  • Love_Sexy

    While I did not take offense at what Michelle said I believe she used poor chose of words to explain herself…..There have been AA actors/actresses that were nominated for non-trashy/degrading however it appears the ones that actually recieved the Oscars were for negative roles….I remember just this year Don Cheadle spoke about the same topic and its really sad….When you look at white actors/actresses they usually win for diverse roles whether its negative or positive.

  • IllyPhilly

    A majority seem to have to do it. At least the first didn’t, right? 

  • http://twitter.com/annnoire Ann Noire

    That was HALLE and M’ONIQUE shade.

  • http://twitter.com/annnoire Ann Noire

    That was HALLE and M’ONIQUE shade.

  • guest

    I get it.  We say this all the time.  Why can’t she?

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