Top-Grossing Films Showed Slight Gains in Diversity of Lead Actors Last Year, Study Says
thewrap.comWomen and actors of color made slight gains as the leads of the top-grossing films of 2021, according to a new study released Monday from Stacy L.
Smith’s USC Anennberg Inclusion Initiative.Across the 100 top-grossing films of 2021, 41% of movies had a female lead/co-lead, a rebound from 36% in 2020 and slightly below the peak of 43% in 2019.
2021 demonstrates the progress made since 2007, when the percentage of films with a female lead/co-lead was 20%. However, popular films still do not present girls and women as leads/co-leads on par with their share of the U.S.
population.“The advocacy and activism surrounding girls and women on screen in films has been at a fever pitch for more than 10 years,” Smith said in a statement. “While the industry reckons with the fallout of the pandemic and the evolving theatrical market, decision-makers must be wary that the progress they have made can stagnate or even reverse.”The percentage of films with a lead/co-lead from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups also remained consistent.
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