The Razzie Awards have come under fire a few days after relating its nomination lots, which included a 12-year-old child star. Over the years, The Razzies have been known for drawing controversies for its satirical award nomination categories, and this year the organizers have caused yet another uproar.
The Razzies Nominated A 12-Year-Old
The Razzies nominated child star Ryan Kiera Armstrong in the Worst Actress category for her role in the 2022 Horror flick Firestarter . The movie revolves around a young girl, Charlie who wields pyrokinetic powers and was viewed as a threat to the city. Her father tries to save her from being eliminated, but Charlie knows she has to step up to defend herself. The movie which has a Box Office figure of $15 million, was released on May 2022, in the United States.
Many Disapproved Of The Razzies Nomination
Social media users could not help but express displeasure over the nomination of a young actor in that category. Many defended the nominated actress while calling for action. Someone wrote on Twitter stating that the Razzies “are already mean-spirited, & classless.” The tweet stated that however nominating a child was “repulsive and wrong.”
Another person penned, “Just realized the Razzies nominated an 11-year-old girl. And I thought I couldn’t hate that organization of snarky dipshits more.” A third netizen chipped in, “The Razzies have sunk to a new low by nominating an eleven-year-old girl — whose performance I actually dug.”
This Is Not the First Time
Armstrong’s nomination is not the first for the notorious award ceremony. Back in the 1990s, actor Jake Lloyd was still a child actor when he was nominated for a Razzie for his role as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Lloyd eventually quit his acting career due to the bullying that came from the film’s poor reception.
Bruce Willis Was Also A Target
Hollywood icon Bruce Willis was given an exclusive category by The Razzies in 2022. This was a development that occurred prior to the news of his aphasia diagnosis. After an outcry on social media, the showrunners announced that the Willis category was rescinded. Another time an award had to be rescinded was when Shelley Duvall was nominated for her role in The Shining.
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The Razzies Respond
The Razzie Awards co-founder John Wilson spoke with Buzzfeed in the aftermath of the media attacks the award ceremony faced. Wilson detailed how the 1,100 voting panel put the young actress in the fifth position. Although there was a debate on whether to put out her name when the nominations were announced, they decided to respect the votes which included Armstrong’s name, regardless of her age. Ilson described the youngster as an experienced actress, despite her age.
What Wilson Thought Of The Media Rage
Still speaking on the rations that have followed the release of The Razies nomination list, Wilson stated that the reactions weren’t something expected. He described the rage as interesting, but ‘overblown.” The awards organizer added, “There’s righteousness about it. It’s the Razzie Awards, for goodness’ sake!”
He Admitted That There Were Excesses
After sharing his sentiment on netizens’ reactions, Wilson admitted that the nomination did cross a line. He noted that although the intent was to be funny, the showrunners seemed “to have misstepped badly.”
The Razzies
The mock award ceremony often takes place a day before the Oscars came into being in 1981. The award is usually targeted at picking lighthearted fun at productions that were not well-received in each year. Despite the aim, not many celebrities and fans have seen it as a harmless event.
The Organizers Encourage Celebs To ‘Own Their Bad’
Over the years The Razzies have enjoined celebrities to see the event as just a way to come to terms with some of their movies fails, but people rarely turn up to accept the Golden Raspberry awards. However, an exception was Halle Berry who accepted her Razzie award in 2004 for her role in 2004’s Catwoman .