Voices, Votes & Vision: The Latest in Politics & Public Policy
- Ayo Edebiri gracefully called out being ignored when interviewer targeted her white co-stars about Black Lives Matter.
- Polidoro's question framed activism as "done" and suggested political correctness harmed white people, drawing widespread criticism.
- Polidoro defended herself as nonracist, prompting debate about exclusion, perspective, and accountability in journalism.
An interview with actress Ayo Edebiri went viral over the weekend when Italian journalist Federica Polidoro ignored Edebiri and instead asked her white co-stars about what could be expected in Hollywood now that the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements are “done.”
According to Deadline, Polidoro was interviewing Andrew Garfield, Julia Roberts, and Ayo Edebiri at the Venice Film Festival for their roles in Luca Guadagnino’s “After The Hunt.” The film is about the fallout that comes after a student accuses a professor of sexual assault. So to some degree, it made sense for Polidoro to ask about the #MeToo movement and the role it plays in Hollywood. The way she went about it, though, leaves much to be desired.
Polidoro directed her question specifically to Andrew Garfield and Julia Roberts and asked, “What could be expected from Hollywood now that MeToo and the Black Lives Matter movements are done?” When the two asked for clarification on who she was asking, Polidoro emphasized the question was for them and asked what they thought was “lost during the politically correct era.”
“Yeah, I know that that’s not for me, and I don’t know if it’s purposeful, it’s not for me, but I just am curious,” Edebiri said after Polidoro clarified her question was only for her co-stars. “I don’t think it’s done, I don’t think it’s done at all. I think maybe hashtags might not be used as much, but I do think that there’s work being done by activists, by people, every day, that’s beautiful, important work that’s not finished, that’s really, really, really active for a reason, because this world is really charged,” Edebiri added. “And that work isn’t finished at all.”
Edebiri said, “Maybe there’s not mainstream coverage in the way that there might have been, daily headlines in the way that it might have been eight or so years ago, but I don’t think it means that the work is done. That’s what I would say.”
Edebiri has been widely praised for both the thoughtfulness of her answer and how gracefully she handled the blatant disrespect and generally weird scenario. Black women, sadly, are the most disrespected group on the planet. Ayo Edebiri is the star of the biggest shows on TV, as well as an accomplished writer, director, and producer. Yet throughout the entire interview, Polidoro basically acts like she’s not there.
One thing that stands out in her question is the idea that something was “lost.” There’s this belief prevalent not only in entertainment, but in all fields that historically marginalized groups finally gaining a sliver of representation is taking away something from white people. We see it every day with the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
Do you know how many times I’d overhear someone in Los Angeles bemoan how hard it was to be a straight, white male creative, even though mainstream media still overwhelmingly caters to straight white men? While there was a lot said about the need for representation in Hollywood, there wasn’t a lot of tangible action, and the numbers show it.
The idea that at any point America entered an era where “you just can’t say anything anymore” is laughable. Tony Hinchcliffe built an entire career off saying slurs for shock value and outraged Puerto Ricans with an abysmal stand-up routine during a Trump rally last year. Did Hollywood ostracize him? No, he actually received several Netflix specials, with one releasing earlier this year.
But sure, we lost so much in the era of political correctness.
Polidoro released a statement on Sunday addressing the backlash. “To those who unjustly accuse me of racism, I would like to clarify that in my work I have interviewed people of every background and ethnicity, and my own family is multi-ethnic, matriarchal, and feminist, with a significant history of immigration,” she wrote. “I have collaborated for over twenty years with numerous national and international publications of all political orientations, always approaching my work with openness and professional rigor. In my view, the real racists are those who see racism everywhere and seek to muzzle journalism, limiting freedom of analysis, critical thinking, and the plurality of perspectives.”
So you heard it here first, folks. We’re the real racists for thinking it’s big weird to ask Ayo Edebiri’s white co-stars how they feel about Black Lives Matter and completely ignore her. In fact, there’s no way Polidoro could be racist because she’s interviewed literally every ethnicity of people. White people, Black people, Vietnamese people, uncontacted tribes in the Amazon, she’s interviewed them all.
Her defensiveness is somewhat hilarious considering that her line of questioning gives the impression that she disagrees with the notion of political correctness. Which, fair enough, you’re allowed to believe that. But if you think it’s OK for anyone to say anything, regardless of how it might make someone else feel, you can’t be in your feelings when you’re hit with criticism. Don’t sit here and talk about the “plurality of perspectives” and then be mad when some of those perspectives think the way you handled the interview was in poor form.
I’m speaking as someone who has spent the last six years being both a journalist/on-camera personality and has received some of the most hateful vitriol just for being Black, confident, and unapologetically “woke.” I know what I’m about, and I’m very aware there’s an audience that’s going to let me know how much they hate me for it. I don’t get in my feelings about it. I just hit ‘em with the “You mad” and keep it pushing.
I don’t understand how Polidoro lacks the self-awareness to realize that actively excluding a Black woman while asking a question about “what was lost during the political correctness era” and “Black Lives Matter” being over could easily be perceived as racist.
I love Andrew Garfield. I think he deserved more as Spider-Man. Julia Roberts has been entertaining me for literally all of my 33 years of existence. As much as I admire their work, if I had a question about the role “Black Lives Matter” plays in Hollywood, they aren’t going to be the people I ask. Polidoro’s line of questioning basically framed “Black Lives Matter” as something that was hurting white people. How does she not understand why people are taking umbrage with that?
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to start counting down the minutes until Polidoro inevitably appears on Joe Rogan’s, Bari Weiss ‘s, or Theo Von’s podcast and cries about how she was the real victim in all this.
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