Why wasn’t Daisy Ridley invited to join the Academy while her male co-stars were?

As you may know, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been under a lot of pressure lately to diversify its member roster.

So, we were surprised to see that break-out star Daisy Ridley was not included in this year’s list of invitees while her (male) co-stars Oscar Isaac and John Boyega were.

Yes, both Isaac and Boyega are BRILLIANT actors (who we love), but Daisy Ridley, aka Rey “I kicked the crap out of that whiner Kylo Ren” no-last-name, is THE LEAD ACTOR AND HERO in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. So this news made us scratch our heads.

We decided to get technical and take a look at some of the Bylaws on the Academy’s website in regards to Membership within the Actors’ branch.

First, it says that you have to have a “minimum of three theatrical feature film credits[…]of a caliber that reflect the high standards of the Academy.” Okay, fair, Daisy’s only film credit that really matches this criteria is The Force Awakens. Meanwhile, Boyega and Isaac definitely have more film credits.

But, hold on a second, let’s take a look at the third “OR” option.

Here it says “have […] otherwise achieved unique distinction, earned special merit or made an outstanding contribution as a motion picture actor.” HMMMM. In our opinion, this describes exactly what Daisy Ridley achieved in The Force Awakens.

Consider these facts:

1. Daisy Ridley was the lead actor in Force Awakens.

2. The Force Awakens is the top earning film of ALL TIME in North America.

3. It also became the ONLY film to cross $900 million domestically (and in only fifty days).

4. Daisy Ridley WAS A TOTAL BAD-ASS in the film.

So, why is it the LEAD ACTOR in the biggest film EVER can’t get an invite to the Academy??? What about this achievement doesn’t scream, “made an outstanding contribution as a motion picture actor?” What else does it take?

Considering there was NO Rey merchandise in all of the (early) Star Wars merchandise, this just feels like another blow to the woman who’s currently at the center of the biggest film franchise ever.

And while we may never really know why Daisy was not invited to join the Academy this year, we know that Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs has made several statements saying she was “committed to doubling the number of woman and minority members.”

And hopefully one day one of those women will be the incredible Daisy Ridley.

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