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Mia Goth addresses the Academy Awards' lack of recognition for the horror genre after her performance in Pearl failed to secure an Oscars nomination. 2022 brought with it a number of standout horror performances, but few received the same acclaim as Goth's. Her dual performance in Ti West's X early in the year blew audiences away, before her triumphant return in the film's sequel Pearl just a few months later had many hoping to see the young star secure an Oscar nomination for her highly memorable performance. However, the recent Oscar nominations saw Goth snubbed, along with a number of other horror performances, in a move that came as little surprise to many, as it continued a long-running trend.

With Goth currently in the midst of her promotional run for Infinity Pool, a horror film directed Brandon Cronenberg, the actor is asked about the Academy's habit of ignoring the horror genre. Speaking to @jakesTakes, Goth shares her belief that the Oscar nominations are "not entirely based on the quality of a project," and says she feels there can be "a lot of cooks in the kitchen" when it comes to deciding categories and nominations. Goth continues by saying "a change is necessary" and that she feels this would ultimately come as a benefit to the Academy, as it would allow them to engage with a wider audience. Check out Goth's quote below:

I think that it's very political and that it's not entirely based on the quality of a project per se, I think there's a lot going on there, a lot of cooks in the kitchen when it comes to nominations and categories that are recognized. I don’t know maybe I shouldn’t say that either but I think that's true, I think a lot of people know that and I don’t know why. I think a change is necessary, that a shift should take place really and if they wanted to engage with the wider public I think it would be of benefit really.

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The Academy’s History With Horror Explained

Those following the 2023 Oscar nominations noticed a glaring dismissal of the horror genre, though this is unfortunately nothing new. Cinemagoers felt that projects such as Jordan Peele's Nope (and its lead performances from Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya) as well as Goth's performance in Pearl deserved a nomination, though these projects received no recognition from the Academy. The horror genre's relationship with the Academy is a complicated one, with only six horror films having previously secured a nomination for Best Picture. To this day, 1991's Silence of the Lambs is the first and only horror movie to have won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, a record that doesn't seem as though it will be broken any time soon.

However, this dismissal of an entire genre goes way beyond the Best Picture category. Horror movies over the years have excelled in elements such as cinematography, visual effects, and make-up design, and while the horror genre has had some success in these more technical categories, there is still a noticeable absence. For years audiences have campaigned to stop horror movies being snubbed by the Oscars, though as another year rolls around, the Academy's stance on the matter evidently remains unchanged.

Goth's comments are particularly interesting, as the actor's name has been at the center of these discussions over the past year. The star poses a strong point in stating the Academy Awards would broaden their audience scope by acknowledging the horror genre for its achievements, though it remains to be seen whether upcoming years will offer more opportunities for horror to shine. For now, with Pearl snubbed along with its fellow 2022 horror releases, it remains to be seen whether 2023 will yield a horror movie that can break this disappointing Oscars trend.