The Razzie Awards are stirring controversy after nominating an eleven-year-old child actor for Worst Actress, leading to calls for its reversal.
The Razzies have stirred controversy by nominating an eleven-year-old child actor for its infamous Worst Actress award. The satirical ceremony airs annually the day before the Oscar Awards, and is intended as light-hearted jabs at some of the industry’s not-so-well received performances and productions of the year. However, the reception of the Razzies has always been divisive, and the awards have been known to cause controversy in the past, including Shelley Duval’s nomination for The Shining and a category made exclusively for Bruce Willis in 2022, just days before his family announced his premature retirement following his unfortunate aphasia diagnosis.
The Razzies’ controversial decision to nominate child actor Ryan Kiera Armstrong in the Worst Actress category for her performance in Firestarter has caused a visceral reaction. Many have taken to social media to voice their disapproval of the decision and the ceremony itself, and have also defended the actor in question. This is not the first time a child actor has been nominated for a Razzie, with Young Anakin Skywalker star Jake Lloyd from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace not only landing the nomination, but eventually quit acting after unfortunately experiencing bullying as a result of the film’s poor reception, and his Razzie nomination was no doubt a contributing factor. Some of the reactions to this latest controversy can be seen below:
Will The Razzies Rescind Their Worst Actress Nomination?
The Razzies now have to decide whether to stick with their decision, or reverse it following the intense criticism it has incurred. Choosing not to rescind the actor’s Worst Actress nomination would likely only further damage the ceremony’s already dubious reputation, so it would be in their best interests to admit their mistake. It would not be the first reversal; just last year, Willis’ award was rescinded following his aphasia diagnosis, though this wasn’t before first remaining staunch in their decision which only caused more backlash. This shows that it is possible for the current Worst Actress nomination to be rescinded, though the uproar would have to be loud enough to instigate the change.
The Razzie Awards have existed since 1981, but social media has meant that public outcry is far more visible now than when the ceremony was founded. This likely contributed to the eventual revocation of Willis’ category, and now the awards are once again under pressure to reverse another controversial decision. There has only ever been one other instance of an award being rescinded, with the retroactive withdrawal of Duvall’s Razzie for Worst Actress for her performance in The Shining, which came alongside the Willis decision. Though intended as light-hearted fun, the inclusion of a child in its most recent iteration has been regarded as myopic and potentially very harmful, especially given the prior experience of Lloyd.
It’s Time For The Razzies To End
With last year’s Willis nomination, and now this year’s nomination of a child actor, the Razzies seem to be causing more strife than the comedy relief it claims to. Despite being a parody, the “awards” can have real and serious implications for its nominees, particularly a child who likely does not have the thick-skin and experience dealing with heckling that an adult might. Many critics of the Razzies believe that they do more harm than good, and should consequently be stopped. The last two iterations of the ceremony seem to have proved that it’s not possible for them to avoid controversy and potential harm, so perhaps the best course of action would be for the awards to finally end.
Source: Twitter (see links above)