The 93rd Academy Awards concluded on Sunday honoring the best movies and performances of 2020 and early 2021. This year’s Oscars took place months later than the usual date, due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Many viewers tuned into the Oscars hoping a posthumous Oscar for the talented actor, Chadwick Boseman who died last year due to health complications.
However, the viewers and the fans were left dismayed after the actor was denied of an Oscar. Fans and critics had assumed that Boseman was a favorite to win the Academy Award in the Best Actor category for his brilliant performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. But, in the final moments of the event, veteran actor Anthony Hopkins received the award for his performance in The Father.
Boseman’s loss quickly spurred an outrage and backlash on the social media. Millions of fans started claiming that the Black Panther star was robbed and mentioned a racism in the play. Jo Brand, a popular comedian also shared his disappointment on the award. He, however, admitted that Anthony Hopkins is a great actor, but also claimed that Boseman truly deserved this time.
Boseman is the first Black actor, who was posthumously nominated for the Oscars.
Avengers Endgame actor had diagnosed with colon cancer four years prior to his death, but kept a secret. He died last August at the age of 43 due to the complications caused by the colon cancer. Boseman is the first Black actor to receive a nomination posthumously in the cinema history. If he had won the award, he would have been the third actor to do so, following Peter Finch and Heath Ledger.
Chadwick truly deserved.
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) April 26, 2021
At the ceremony, the Academy Awards celebrated his legacy and career by featuring him on In Memorium segment. Joy Reid from MSNBC wrote via Twitter that Chadwick Boseman and Andra Day were robbed of their award. The Last Fall director, Matthew Cherry also tweeted that Boseman truly deserved the Oscar. Franklin Leonard, the Black List founder said the Boseman would not have been upset over the loss.
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Hopkins didn’t appear at the ceremony, but he later made a post-show acceptance video where he gave his tributes and acknowledged Boseman for his outstanding career. Boseman was a clear favorite prior to the ceremony since he picked up multiple awards for the Best Actor at Critics Choice Award, SAGA, and the Golden Globe.
