Announcers at Sunday night’s Oscar ceremony had everyone on the edge of their seat once the biggest award of the night, Best Picture, was getting ready to be called.
But Black Twitter and Spike Lee collectively gave a “aww hell nah!” when it was announced the controversial film Green Book won the award. The movie has been mirrored in a debate between the trope of the white savior and Hollywood’s affinity for white washing the narrative of Black lives, especially when a major discrepancy existed over authenticity and was publicly stated by the real-life family of Don Shirley, the character Mahershala Ali portrayed in the film.
Reportedly, Spike Lee, who won Best Adapted Screenplay for his hit move BlacKkKlansman, stormed to the back of the theatre once Green Book was called, Deadline reports. He then came back to his seat, but turned his back to the stage while the movie’s producers and creators gave their speeches. Lee openly showed his disapproval backstage when he was asked about his reaction by reporters.
“Every time somebody is driving somebody I loose,” Spike said in reference to the 1990 when he was nominated for Best Original Screenplay. At the time, industry darling Driving Miss Daisy dominated the awards season. “But they changed the seating arrangement!” directly shading Green Book.
“We saw a little reaction to the Green Book win, can you give us your thoughts on that Best Picture win?” a reporter asked.
“Let me take another sip. Next question!” he yelled out. “Wait a minute! What reaction did you see, what did I do?” he continued. “No I thought I was court side a the garden and the ref made a bad call,” he said.
In true Spike Lee fashion, he gave the truth, and nothing but the truth.
Meanwhile, Black Twitter sounded off with commentary of their own, using Green Book as an identifier to describe the tendencies of problematic white folks. And lawd, did they go in.
