The Golden Raspberry Awards, better known as the Razzies, have the internet divided over their recent list of contenders. People are not entirely on-board with the parody award show nominating 12-year-old actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong in the Worst Actress Category, for her role in Firestarter.
The film was not a commercial or critical success, but people believe that the nomination is mean-spirited and borderline bullying. Putting young artists in a negative spotlight might also discourage them from pursuing the field and honing their skills.
Fuck the Razzies.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong is a 12 year old girl and this is gross. https://t.co/mtOJ4u2B8t— Will Landman (@WillTheLandMan) January 23, 2023
The Razzies nominating Ryan Kiera Armstrong for Worst Actress as if she was the cause of FIRESTARTER being so bad is hysterical. That girl was the best part of that mess of a movie. And on top of that, no kid should ever be nominated for an award that punches down on them.
— Shannon of the Dead 🧟♀️ (@shannon_mcgrew) January 25, 2023
Other nominees this year include Tom Hanks for his role in the Elvis biopic and Jared Leto for playing Dr Michael Morbius in the Marvel Comics superhero film Morbius.
The Razzie awards were first given out in 1981 as a parody of the Academy Awards, which honour the best films of the year. The awards take place annually on the night before the Academy Awards ceremony. The Razzie’s board members select their contenders in a process similar to the Oscars, with around 800 voting members, who are mostly film fans and critics. Since its inception, the awards have become an integral part of pop culture, but many deem them insensitive.
Some defend the awards by saying that if the Oscars can nominate young actors, then the Razzies should not be any different. This is not the first time the Razzies have nominated a young artist as such. Brooke Shields was up for the award when she was 14 years old for her role in The Blue Lagoon. And an 8-year-old Jake Lloyd won the Razzie for Worst Actor for his role as a young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
Most actors avoid attending the Razzies, with a few exceptions. In 2009, Sandra Bullock arrived on stage at the Razzies to collect her award for Worst Actress for the film All about Steve. Her appearance at the show was topped off just hours later when she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her film The Blind Side.
Last year, the Razzies devised a unique category for actor Bruce Willis. They nominated him eight times under the new category, ‘Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie’, for every one of his movies last year. However, they later revoked it due to his subsequently revealed aphasia diagnosis. So it seems the board members do recognise when they have crossed the line. With Ryan Kiera Armstrong, however, they have stuck to their decision so far.
