Meryl Streep and Donald Trump feud could make this year’s Oscars one of the most political

THE bitter feud between Meryl Streep and Donald Trump sets the scene for a politically charged Oscars — but does anyone watching actually care?

Meryl Streep’s feud with Donald Trump could shape a politically charged Oscars ceremony. Picture: AP

IF the lead-up awards are anything to go by, the Oscars are shaping up to be one of the most political in recent memory.

The tone was set early with the mostly liberal Hollywood establishment railing against the incoming administration ever since Donald Trump’s shock win on November 8.

But the tension ratcheted up several notches at the Golden Globes — one of the leading award shows on the Hollywood calendar and an important precursor to the Academy Awards — when multiple Oscar-winner Meryl Streep was presented with the Cecil B. DeMille award for lifetime achievement.

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Meryl Streep’s feud with Donald Trump could shape a politically charged Oscars ceremony. Picture: AP

As she took to the podium to accept the honorary award, less than two weeks out from Trump’s inauguration, she had her soon-to-be President firmly in her sights when she said: “There was one performance this year that stunned me … It was that moment when the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter. Someone he outranked in privilege, power and the capacity to fight back. It kind of broke my heart when I saw it. I still can’t get it out of my head because it wasn’t in a movie. It was real life.”

Trump hit back at the revered actress, who is the most Oscar-nominated actor in history with 20 nods, including for Best Actress in Florence Foster Jenkins this year, posting on Twitter that she was “one of the most overrated actresses in Hollywood”.

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Meryl Streep dressed up as Donald Trump at Shakespeare in the Park in New York last year. Picture: Supplied

The battlelines were drawn, with actors including Elizabeth Banks, Emmy Rossum and Zoe Saldana, immediately leaping to Streep’s defence. Steep, who had been vocally anti-Trump during the election campaign, renewed the attack at a fundraising gala for LGBT group The Human Rights Campaign this month, while Trump-supporting websites suggested that Streep had only been nominated this year because of her Golden Globes speech.

Hollywood — and the Oscars — have a long history of using the podium or the acceptance speech to press a political point. Marlon Brando famously boycotted the Oscars when he was nominated in 1973 and sent a Native American activist to refuse the award on his behalf. Richard Gere was presenting an award in 1993 when he called on China to pull out of Tibet. Michael Moore called George W. Bush a “fictitious president” while accepting the Best Documentary Oscar for Bowling For Columbine in 2003. Two years ago, Patricia Arquette spoke out in favour of wage equality for women after winning Best Supporting Actress for Boyhood and last year was dominated by the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, when the nominations were announced without a single non-white actor up for an award.

Michael Moore makes an anti-war statement after accepting the Oscar for best documentary feature for the film Bowling for Columbine during 2003 Oscars. Picture: AP

But as compelling and controversial as these impassioned and clearly heartfelt speeches might be, it’s entirely possible that they are preaching to the converted.

A recent poll by respected industry journal the Hollywood Reporter suggested that Clinton voters and Trump voters view the Oscars very differently. The study revealed that two thirds of Trump voters have turned off awards shows because the speeches got too political compared with only 19 per cent of those who voted for Hillary Clinton. But perhaps even more tellingly, the poll revealed that only about a quarter of the respondents — of either political persuasion — had ever changed their mind about an issue because of a speech on an awards show.

With opinion so divided there might be as many eyes on the Trump Twitter feed as on the actual awards, which screen in the US on Sunday night. But Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer doubts that the President will be watching for another “Streep moment”, after pointing out that “Hollywood is known for being rather far to the left in its opinions”, this week:

“I think the President will be hosting the Governors Ball that night. Mrs. Trump looks forward to putting on a phenomenal event ... and I have a feeling that’s where the President and first lady are going to be focused on Sunday night.”

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel says his opening Oscars monologue won’t be “very political”. Picture: AP

Similarly all eyes will be on Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel who could set the tone with his opening monologue but he says he doesn’t think it will be “very political”.

That said, in this White House, anything can happen at any time — and his head writer will be on high alert until the very last moment.

“It’s too early to write political jokes, because the things that are happening today will feel dated,” Molly McNearney told Variety magazine. “If Trump doesn’t want to be on the broadcast, he has to be on his best behaviour in the days leading up to it.”

Originally published as Meryl Streep and Donald Trump feud could make this year’s Oscars one of the most political