The criticism of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) continues to grow and more and more stars are calling for a boycott. Actor Tom Cruise is therefore returning his Golden Globes.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) consists of several foreign film journalists and hosts the Golden Globes every year. Now, however, the organization is massively criticized, because the association is accused of racism, discrimination, and corruption. Numerous stars and corporations such as Netflix and Amazon Studios are calling for a boycott and no longer want to work with the HFPA. Actor Tom Cruise is now taking the first step and setting an example.
“Mission Impossible” star is said to have returned all of his Golden Globes to the HFPA. Tom Cruise received the trophies for his performances in ” Born on July 4,” “Jerry Maguire” and “Magnolia.” So far, Cruise is the only one who has returned the famous prizes, but other stars could now follow with set examples.
Background to the boycott of the HFPA.
The HFPA was already heavily criticized in advance for not accepting black members and for simply lacking diversity. In addition, sexist questions are said to have been repeatedly asked at press conferences, as Scarlett Johansson and WarnerMedia confirm. Therefore, a number of representatives from the industry demand that the HFPA urgently needs to be reformed.
The organization recently announced that it would make changes and plans to add 20 new members this year, who will be primarily African American. There are currently almost 90 members in total, but here too the association wants to improve and double the number of representatives. In addition, further guidelines are to follow, for example, new regulations for invitations to film events.
For many, this reform is still not enough because the new rules are not binding for everyone and they would not apply until the end of this year. This would not have a major impact on the upcoming Golden Globe nominations. Thanks to Tom Cruise’s action, more stars could follow, and the pressure on the HFPA would increase.