Vanity Fair has released their annual "Hollywood Issue," a confusing name, because every issue of Vanity Fair seems to be about Hollywood, and they've chosen representation as its theme. Specifically, representation of the underrepresented, or diversity.
The people they feature are diverse: Chadwick Boseman, Tessa Thompson, Remi Malek Saoirse Ronan and Yalitza Aparicio (there's also Timothee Chalamet). Many of the actors, in their little blurbs for the cover, praise themselves and the industry for what is apparently a sea change in the way people are represented on-screen. Chadwick Boseman says that his generation of actors "give new breath to what Hollywood is and what Hollywood is going to be. And that’s in terms of diversity, ethnicity, gender, and the type of work that we’re doing.” Saving the world one silky Balenciaga shirt at a time:
Yalitza Aparicio also made a concise statement about why she thinks her role in Roma is important: “it has been a source of pride and hope for many people to see someone that looks like me—an indigenous person—starring in an Oscar-winning director’s film.” Although this may all sound like a lot of talking and not a lot of walking, Tessa Thompson is of the opinion that there is actually real stuff going on outside the pages of Vanity Fair: “I am optimistic about the real activism happening inside of the industry.”
