Razzies Award introduce age limit after facing backlash for nominating 12-year-old actor
Jan 26, 2023
Washington [US], January 26 : The Razzie Awards, which is a parody award show, have introduced an age limit for nominations after they received backlash for nominating 12-year-old American actor Ryan Kiera Armstrong for the Worst Actress trophy.
According to Deadline, an American media company, Razzies founder John Wilson apologized and confirmed, in a statement, that Armstrong's name has been removed from the ballot.
He also said that going forward under-18s would not be eligible to be nominated for the awards.
There was strong criticism after the Razzies nominated Armstrong for her performance in 'Firestarter'. The film, which also stars Zac Efron, bears the logline: "A young girl tries to understand how she mysteriously gained the power to set things on fire with her mind," reported Deadline.
Efron was not nominated, although the film itself scored a nod for Worst Remake/Rip-off/Sequel.
Among those criticizing the decision to nominate Armstrong was former child actor Devon Sawa, who reportedly wrote in a since-deleted tweet: "The Razzies are run by soulless people. Nominating a 12-year-old? F**k them. That child could grow to be amazing if you haven't gotten in their head."
As per Deadline, Julian Hilliard, who has appeared in 'WandaVision' and 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' also lent Armstrong his support, writing: "The razzies are already mean-spirited & classless, but to nominate a kid is just repulsive & wrong. Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better."
