ADEKEYE ADEBAJO: Cynthia Erivo — a stellar actress with a strong black identity
Nigerian-British actress and singer Cynthia Onyedinmanasu Erivo was the only black artist nominated for an Oscar in the recent Academy Awards in Hollywood, for her role in Harriet, which has grossed more than $41.7m at the box office. She was nominated for best actress and best original song, but lost in both categories. At just 33, Erivo has, however, already won prestigious Tony, Emmy and Grammy awards, and seems destined for greatness.
The Oscars have been castigated for nominating just 14 black women out of 100 for the best actress and best supporting actress categories over the past decade. The continuing criticism is that black female nominees are often typecast in subservient roles: Hattie McDaniel’s slave in Gone with the Wind; Whoopi Goldberg’s hustler psychic in Ghost; Halle Berry’s betrayer-wife in Monster’s Ball; Octavia Spencer’s housemaid in The Help; and Viola Davis’s long-suffering wife in Fences...
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