Vanity Fair’s 2019 Hollywood issue features mostly people of color—and it’s refreshing AF
Today, January 24th, Vanity Fair released their Hollywood issue. It celebrates influential industry heavyweights and highlights the actors and actresses who have made an impact through their work the previous year. And this year’s cover is especially noteworthy, because the majority of artists featured are people of color. For context, the 2018 issue featured Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Jessica Chastain, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Gal Gadot (among others)—and literally two non-white performers (Oprah and Michael B. Jordan).
This year, however, we were treated to a gorgeous group photo of Tessa Thompson (Sorry To Bother You), Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther), Yalitza Aparicio (Roma), Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk), Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians), and John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman). Rounding out the photo was Timothée Chalamet (Beautiful Boy), Saoirse Ronan (Mary Queen of Scots), Elizabeth Debicki (Widows), and Nicholas Hoult (The Favourite).
The 25th Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue is here. V.F. teamed up with three-time Academy Award–winning cinematographer Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki to capture, in eloquent motion, the Hollywood of today and tomorrow #VFHollywood https://t.co/pEz6DP8y06 pic.twitter.com/03MpkzHIZ9
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) January 24, 2019
The cover is also noteworthy in that it includes a number of newcomers, which definitely seems to point to a change within the industry as a whole (perhaps major roles will no longer go to the same few familiar faces, year after year). Many of the artists photographed also noted the change.
"The actors who are within the pages of this issue give new breath to what Hollywood is and what Hollywood is going to be," Boseman said during his interview. "And that’s in terms of diversity, ethnicity, gender, and the type of work that we’re doing."
For his part, Washington spoke about how his appearance on the cover might impact other young people who look like him. “As I was putting this wonderful suit on, I realized it’s not about me, it’s about somebody who looks like me in Kansas or North Carolina, Middle America or in the South, who sees a cover like this and will be inspired to change their environment, to be motivated and say, I can be this, I can do this.”
Aparicio had a similar sentiment, saying, "While my time in the business has been short, 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. And a big change for Hollywood."
The magazine also unveiled several more photos and videos to their Instagram page, and they’re stunning.
Congratulations to all of the artists who made it on this year’s cover. Let’s hope the progress continues.
