Razzies retracts nomination of 12-year-old as ‘worst actress’

The Razzies has issued an apology for including child actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong, 12, in the list of nominees for “worst actress”, for her role in horror film Firestarter. – Photo: Instagram/Firestarter Movie

The Razzies, the tongue-in-cheek annual awards ceremony that pays tribute to the year’s “worst” in films, has issued an apology for including a child actor in its latest nominee list.

American actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong, 12, had been nominated “worst actress” for her role in Firestarter (2022), a horror film based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.

In a statement published by entertainment trade Variety, Razzies founder John Wilson admitted that “the recent valid criticism of the choice of (Armstrong) as a nominee for one of our awards brought our attention to how insensitive we’ve been in this instance.”

He also said that the Razzies would be changing their nomination processes moving forward: “We are adopting a voting guideline precluding any performer or film-maker under 18 years of age from being considered for our awards.”

Armstong’s name has been removed from the nominee list.

The Razzies – short for the Golden Raspberry Awards – had announced the nominees on Monday, with Netflix’s Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde leading the way with eight nods.

But Armstrong’s inclusion among adult actresses such as Bryce Dallas Howard and Diane Keaton – who were nominated for their roles in Jurassic Park: Dominion and Mack & Rita respectively – drew ire from netizens.

Fellow child actor Julian Hilliard, 11, who appeared in the Disney+ Marvel television series WandaVision (2021), said the “mean-spirited” Razzies had “crossed a line”.

“To nominate a kid is just repulsive and wrong. Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better,” he wrote on Twitter.

The satirical awards also issued a mea culpa last year, after creating a special category dedicated to Bruce Willis’ recent filmography.

The Razzies walked back the joke prize after the 67-year-old American actor’s family announced that he was retiring from acting due to aphasia, a cognitive disorder.

This year’s Razzies winners will be announced the day before the Oscars, on March 11. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network