Following her acceptance speech at this year’s Oscars, Frances McDormand has clarified what she meant when she called for “inclusion riders” during the ceremony.
After inviting all of her fellow female nominees to stand with her in solidarity, Frances concluded her Oscars speech with two words: “Inclusion riders.”
Speaking to reporters in a press conference following the ceremony, the ‘Three Billboards’ star was asked to clarify exactly what she meant with the comment, and describe what an “inclusion rider” is.
She explained: “Right, I just found out about that last week. There… has always been available to anybody who does a negotiation on a film, an inclusion rider, which means that you can ask for, and/or demand, at least 50% diversity in not only the casting but also the crew.
“And so, the fact that I’ve just learned that, after 35 years of being in the film business... we’re not going back.
“So the whole idea of women ‘trending’? No. No trending. African-Americans ‘trending’? No. No trending. It changes now. And I think the inclusion rider will have something to do with that. Right? Power in rules.”
Frances’s speech, during which she called for all of her fellow female nominees to get on their feet and be seen, was undeniably one of the stand-out moments of this year’s Academy Awards.
During her speech, she noted: “Look around, everybody. Because we all have stories to tell. And projects we need financed. Invite us into your office in a couple days — or you can come to ours, whichever suits you best — and we’ll tell you all about them.”
Check out the full list of winners from this year’s Oscars here.