Tom Cruise, US actor, has returned his three Golden Globes in protest against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organisation behind the awards.
The protest is coming after the HFPA came under scrutiny over alleged corruption and a lack of diversity after the association was the subject of an investigation by the Los Angeles Times in February this year.
In the investigation, the Los Angeles Times reported that there were no black members of the HFPA for decades, as well as alleged corrupt behaviour from the board.
According to Deadline, Cruise returned the ‘Best Actor’ Globe he got for his role in ‘Jerry Maguire’ (1997); ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ (1990), and the trophy he earned as the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for ‘Magnolia’ back in 2000.
As several other actors joined the protest, Scarlett Johansson, American actress, called for the industry to step back from the Golden Globes until more substantial reforms are put in place within the HFPA organisation.
“As an actor promoting a film, one is expected to participate in awards season by attending press conferences as well as awards shows,” the multiple award-winning actress said in a statement to 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.
“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.
“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.”
NBC, which has aired the event since 1996, also revealed that it would not broadcast the award ceremony in 2022.
“We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform. However, change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right,” a statement from NBC read.
“As such, NBC will not air the 2022 Golden Globes. Assuming the organization executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023.”
An array of top-flight film and TV companies, including Netflix, Amazon, and WarnerMedia, have also distanced themselves from the HFPA and the Globes in recent days.
“We don’t believe these proposed new policies — particularly around the size and speed of membership growth — will tackle the HFPA’s systemic diversity and inclusion challenges, or the lack of clear standards for how your members should operate,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-chief executive, wrote in a letter to the group.
On its part, WarnerMedia said it would cease holding screenings and other events for the HFPA until it made more substantial changes.
“For far too long, demands for perks, special favors and unprofessional requests have been made to our teams and to others across the industry. We regret that as an industry, we have complained, but largely tolerated this behavior until now,” WarnerMedia executives wrote in a letter shared with reporters on Monday.
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