- Andre Holland doesn’t chase awards recognition when it comes to choosing roles.
- He told BI on the red carpet for “The Dutchman” that he thinks the entire awards circuit is toxic.
- “I think we should find a way to make it more fair,” the “Moonlight” star said.
Some actors may be eager for awards recognition — like Timothée Chalamet, who made headlines for a remarkably candid SAG Awards acceptance speech in which he spoke about chasing greatness (and also statuettes).
Andre Holland, however, can’t relate.
“In my opinion, the whole awards thing is a little bit toxic,” Holland told Business Insider at the SXSW premiere of his new film “The Dutchman.”
Holland, who starred in the Oscar-winning 2016 film “Moonlight,” added that he thinks awards are largely driven by money, and which studios or distributors have the marketing funds to buy their way into certain events.
“We don’t talk about that enough,” he said. “There’s this idea that we’re gonna present an award to the best actor or best movie, but it’s the best and also the ones that can afford to be in the room.”
The actor said the awards circuit is due for an overhaul to make it more equitable: “I think we should find a way to make it more fair for people who don’t have massive studios behind them who are willing to drop $10, $12 million.”
Holland, who can next be seen in the Neon film “The Actor” as a theater performer with amnesia, acknowledged that awards mattered more to him earlier in his career, but he’s at a point now where he “could not care any less.”
“I don’t mean to be rude about it; for those who love those things, go for it,” he said. “But I wanna make art, things that are useful in the world, things that help me become a better actor. And I don’t think the Oscars or any awards have anything to do with that.”
Holland is far from the first person to speak about awards being a money game. Director Ava DuVernay previously spoke about the “disappointing” lack of reach of her film “Origin,” which was projected to be an Oscar contender but, due to limited budgets and failures in marketing strategy, failed to make an impact.
