Deluge of Oscars Politics Began With Brando
Associated Press Feb 27, 2018
Should any of this year's winners at the Oscars use the occasion to promote a political cause, you can thank - or blame - Marlon Brando.
Brando's role as Vito Corleone in The Godfather remains a signature performance in movie history. But his response to winning an Academy Award was truly groundbreaking.
Upending a decades-long tradition of tears, nervous humor, thank-yous and general goodwill, he sent actress Sacheen Littlefeather in his place to the 1973 ceremony to protest Hollywood's treatment of American Indians.
In the years since, winners have brought up everything from climate change (Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant, 2016) to abortion (John Irving, screenplay winner in 2000) to equal pay for women (Patricia Arquette, best supporting actress winner in 2015 for Boyhood).