Vanity Fair has released its most racially diverse “Hollywood Issue” cover ever for its 20th anniversary edition, following years of criticism for featuring mostly white actors even in years with strong performances from actors of color.
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Six of the 12 actors on the 2014 “Hollywood Issue” cover are black – including Academy Award nominees Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong’o from “12 Years a Slave;” Michael B. Jordan, who had a critically acclaimed performance in “Fruitvale Station;” Idris Elba and Naomie Harris, who played the legendary Nelson and Winnie Mandela in Weinstein Co.’s “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom;” and Chadwick Boseman, who starred as Jackie Robinson in “42” and appears opposite Kevin Costner in the upcoming “Draft Day.”
Also on the cover are powerhouses Julia Roberts, George Clooney, and Jared Leto; indie darling Brie Larson of “Short Term 12;” “Wolf of Wall Street” star Margo Robbie; and Léa Seydoux of “Blue Is the Warmest Color.”
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Vanity Fair had routinely come under fire for seemingly disregarding the Hollywood “It” potential of actors like Gabourey Sidibe, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2010, when the “Hollywood Issue” featured only white actresses.
Last year, the cover featured Ben Affleck, Emma Stone, and Bradley Cooper, while “Django Unchained’s” Kerry Washington and record-setting Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis were relegated to the cover fold-out.
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2013 was an extraordinary year for filmmakers of color, and media outlets have been closely scrutinized for their attention to diversity. Elle Magazine was criticized in January for giving actress and comedienne Mindy Kaling a different cover treatment than the other three women featured for its “Women in TV” issue.
And in November, USA Today stumbled over a headline where it declared black-starring films were “race-themed.”
The 2014 Vanity Fair “Hollywood Issue” hits newsstands on Feb. 7.
See the full cover below (click to enlarge):
