Oscar-nominated actress publicly apologises as past blackface role resurfaces

A star tipped to win this year’s Best Actress Oscar has issued a grovelling public apology after footage of her in blackface surfaced online.

Oscar nominee Fernanda Torres has apologised after a decades-old video of her performing in blackface resurfaced ahead of the Academy Awards.

The I’m Still Here star addressed the video in a statement to Deadline.

“Almost 20 years ago, I appeared in Blackface in a comedy sketch from a Brazilian TV show,” she said in her statement. “I am very sorry for this. I’m making this statement as it is important for me to address this swiftly to avoid further pain and confusion.”

The sketch, titled “The Opposite Sex: The Family (Father Vs. Mother),” appeared in the Brazilian television show Fantástico in 2008.

Torres continued, “At that time, despite the efforts of Black movements and organisations, the awareness of the racist history and symbolism of blackface hadn’t yet entered the mainstream public consciousness in Brazil,” later adding, “It’s very clear now in our country and everywhere that blackface is never acceptable.”

Torres wins the Best Actress Golden Globe earlier this month. Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty

20 years ago, she appeared in a sketch comedy series in blackface.

“This is an important conversation we must continue to have with one another in order to prevent the normalisation of racist practices then and now,” Torres concluded. “As an artist and global citizen, and from my open heart, I remain attentive and committed to the pursuit of vital changes needed to live in a world free from inequality and racism.”

The sketch stars Torres as a tired mother who asks her husband for a divorce. Her husband hires a housekeeper to help her, whom Torres also plays while wearing blackface. By the end of the segment, the mother gets the divorce and offers half the proceeds to the housekeeper.

After her Golden Globe win, Torres is emerging as a hot Oscar favourite. Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty

This news comes just after Torres became the second Brazilian actress to be nominated for an Oscar for I’m Still Here. The first was her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, for the 1988 film Central Station.

Torres is nominated for Best Actress against Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón, Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, The Substance’s Demi Moore and Anora’s Mikey Madison.

Torres recently won a Golden Globe for her performance in the political drama.

This story originally appeared on Decider and is republished here with permission.

Originally published as Oscar-nominated actress publicly apologises as past blackface role resurfaces