Frances McDormand wins Oscar, calls for “Inclusion Rider” in emotional speech

Frances McDormand won her second Oscar last night. Taking home the Best Actress prize for her acclaimed performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri McDormand gave an emotional speech, asking every other female nominee to stand up and look around and acknowledge the power they all have. “I leave you with two words tonight,” she then said, “Inclusion rider!” It was a powerful, incredible moment.

So, just what is an inclusion rider?

A rider is an amendment that can be attached to a contract that modifies its original intent without having to rewrite the whole contract from scratch. In this case, an inclusion rider would be a clause that would demand inclusivity and diversity in movies, in front of and behind the camera. “I just found out about this last week,” the actress said after winning her award, “It means you can ask for and/or demand at least 50 percent diversity in, not only casting, but also the crew.”

This comes from a movement started by Stacy L. Smith, the director of USC Annenberg’s Media, Diversity and Social Change Initiatives. She explained what an inclusion rider is in an article she wrote for the Hollywood Reporter.

“What if A-list actors amended every contract with an equity rider? The clause would state that tertiary speaking characters should match the gender distribution of the setting for the film, as long as it’s sensible for the plot. If notable actors working across 25 top films in 2013 had made this change to their contracts, the proportion of balanced films (about half-female) would have jumped from 16 percent to 41 percent. Imagine the possibilities if a few actors exercised their power contractually on behalf of women and girls. It wouldn’t necessarily mean more lead roles for females, but it would create a diverse onscreen demography reflecting a population comprised of 50 percent women and girls.

In other words, reality.”

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