Aubrey Plaza Addresses Lack of Representation of Latinx at the Oscars During Impact Awards Speech

Aubrey Plaza called out the Oscars for not recognizing Latinx in Hollywood.

Aubrey Plaza at the 20th Annual National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Awards Gala.
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Image via Getty/JC Olivera

Aubrey Plaza at the 20th Annual National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Awards Gala.

The National Hispanic Media Coalition's 21st Annual Impact Awards, an event that celebrates the on-screen accomplishments and activism of Latinx in Hollywood, took place on Friday night. Actress Aubrey Plaza was presented an award for outstanding performance in a motion picture (for her role in Ingrid Goes West).  She took this as an opportunity to make the crowd laugh with her famous awkward, sarcastic sense of humor (she pretended to accept the best actress award at the Oscars) and then took a moment to discuss lack of Latinx inclusion in Hollywood.

“I’m going to accept the leading best actress award on behalf of the Oscars ceremony because I heard a fun fact tonight that I never knew before, which is that no Latina actress has ever won best actress at the Oscars,” Plaza said. “Ever. So I’m going to accept that tonight to manifest that energy.”

Plaza also added, “I’ll play some kind of psychotic character, some kind of criminal lunatic, those complicated characters I’m good at, and I’ll do that for you. And I’m going to win that award.”

One can safely assume NHMC was on board with what Plaza's speech: they have a protest planned for March 3, the day before the Oscars, the address the lack of lead roles for Latinx actors, and inclusion in general. National Hispanic Media Coalition president and CEO Alex Nogales told Variety before the awards show, “Tonight is a show of people that are working in film and television." He continued, "This is about celebrating them and pushing the studios and pushing the film industry to do better. They should be ashamed of themselves for not utilizing these wonderful actors here tonight and across the nation."

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