Entertainment
‘Insensitive and irresponsible’ Sia slammed as petition against Music’s Golden Globe nominations reaches 70,000 signatures
Sia has been branded ‘insensitive and irresponsible’ in a petition calling for the Golden Globes to rescind the nominations for her film Music.
The movie stars Maddie Ziegler as non-verbal autistic teen Music, and has faced major backlash over the casting and the inclusion of certain scenes.
The petition, which has reached 70,000 signatures, has described the film as ‘ableist’ and contributing to a ‘harmful stereotype about autistic people’.
The description for the petition says: ‘The Golden Globes must rescind its two nominations for “Best Musical/Comedy Picture” and “Best Musical/Comedy Actress: Kate Hudson”, and the entertainment industry must promise to actively work towards inclusion and better disability representation.’
It goes on to point out that the Chandelier hitmaker has described the film as a ‘love letter to autistic people’ but says that the movie includes ‘strobing lights, colors, loud sounds, and quick camera movements, which is very overstimulating.’
The creators of the petition claim that autistic people were ‘ignored’ in the casting process, and that Maddie ‘acts autistic’ by ‘stereotypically mimicking autistic people the exact same way autistic people have been bullied and mocked their entire lives’.
The petition also covers the backlash against Music’s characterisation, with some claiming that she is simply used to advance the other characters’ arcs, and the inclusion of scenes which show Music being restrained on the ground – a practice which has proven deadly to autistic people in the past.
Finally, it addresses Sia’s response to critics, with her initially lashing out at those calling her out.
‘In light of this damning evidence, we call on the Golden Globes to rescind its nomination in both categories,’ the creators said. ‘We also call upon the entertainment industry to create a more inclusive workspace that will allow autistic people to become part of the industry.’
The film recently received two nominations for the Golden Globe Awards.
Kate Hudson was nominated for best actress in a motion picture – musical or comedy for her role as Zu, and the film was nominated for best motion picture – musical or comedy.
Following further backlash about the nominations, Sia, 45, recently apologised to her critics in a string of tweets, before deleting her Twitter account.
She has pledged to cut the most controversial scenes in future versions of the film, and include a warning about the use of restraint on autistic people.
The singer tweeted (via Variety): ‘I promise, have been listening. The motion picture MUSIC will, moving forward, have this warning at the head of the movie.’
The warning read: ‘MUSIC in no way condones or recommends the use of restraint on autistic people. There are autistic occupational therapists that specialize in sensory processing who can be consulted to explain safe ways to provide proprioceptive, deep-pressure feedback to help w meltdown safety.’
She added: ‘I plan to remove the restraint scenes from all future printings. I listened to the wrong people and that is my responsibility, my research was clearly not thorough, not wide enough.’
She then simply wrote: ‘I’m sorry.’
The musician, full name Sia Furler, previously attempted to defend her decision online and explained she felt the pressure of the role had been ‘stressful’ and ‘overwhelming’ for an autistic actor, before she cast Maddie.
She tweeted that she had ‘two people on the spectrum’ advising her on the film and that she had researched it for three years, and wrote: ‘Grrrrrrrrrr. F***ity f*** why don’t you watch my film before you judge it? FURY.’
Maddie, 18, has also defended the film, saying it was made with ‘good intentions’.
Reps for Sia declined to comment. Metro.co.uk has contacted the Golden Globes for comment.
Golden Globes nominations 2021
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
“The Flight Attendant” (HBO Max)
“The Great” (Hulu)
“Schitt’s Creek” (CBC)
“Emily in Paris” (Netflix)
“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)
Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”)
Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)
Al Pacino (“Hunters”)
Matthew Rhys (“Perry Mason”)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Cate Blanchett (“Mrs. America”)
Shira Haas (“Unorthodox”)
Nicole Kidman (“The Undoing”)
Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit”)
Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Normal People”)
Best Director – Motion Picture
Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”)
David Fincher, “Mank” (Netflix)
Regina King, “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios)
Aaron Sorkin, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)
Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”)
Michelle Pfeiffer (“French Exit”)
Anya Taylor-Joy (“Emma”)
Kate Hudson (“Music”)
Rosamund Pike (“I Care a Lot”)
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”)
Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”)
Gary Oldman (“Mank”)
Tahar Rahim (“The Mauritanian”)
Best Television Series – Drama
“The Crown” (Netflix)
“Lovecraft Country” (HBO Max)
“The Mandalorian” (Disney Plus)
“Ozark” (Netflix)
“Ratched” (Netflix)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Olivia Colman (“The Crown”)
Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”)
Emma Corrin (“The Crown”)
Laura Linney (“Ozark”)
Sarah Paulson (“Ratched”)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Bryan Cranston (“Your Honor”)
Jeff Daniels (“The Comey Rule”)
Hugh Grant (“The Undoing”)
Ethan Hawke (“The Good Lord Bird”)
Mark Ruffalo (“I Know This Much Is True”)
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Sacha Baron Cohen (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”)
James Corden (“The Prom”)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton”)
Dev Patel (“The Personal History of David Copperfield”)
Andy Samberg (“Palm Springs”)
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”)
Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”)
Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”)
Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”)
Best Motion Picture – Drama
“The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Mank” (Netflix)
“Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)
“Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)
“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)
Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)
Jared Leto (“The Little Things”)
Bill Murray (“On the Rocks”)
Leslie Odom, Jr. (“One Night in Miami”)
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
“The Midnight Sky” (Netflix) – Alexandre Desplat
“Tenet” (Warner Bros.) – Ludwig Göransson
“News of the World” (Universal Pictures) – James Newton Howard
“Mank” (Netflix) – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
“Soul” (Pixar) – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Lily Collins (“Emily in Paris”)
Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”)
Elle Fanning (“The Great”)
Jane Levy (“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”)
Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”)
Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
“Normal People” (Hulu/BBC)
“The Queen’s Gambit” (Netflix)
“Small Axe” (Amazon Studios/BBC)
“The Undoing” (HBO)
“Unorthodox” (Netflix)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
John Boyega (“Small Axe”)
Brendan Gleeson (“The Comey Rule”)
Dan Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”)
Jim Parsons (“Hollywood”)
Donald Sutherland (“The Undoing”)
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios)
“Hamilton” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“Palm Springs” (Neon)
“Music”
“The Prom” (Netflix)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”)
Olivia Colman (“The Father”)
Jodie Foster (“The Mauritanian”)
Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”)
Helena Zengel (“News of the World”)
Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
“Another Round” (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
“La Llorona” (Shudder)
“The Life Ahead” (Netflix)
“Minari” (A24)
“Two of Us”
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
“Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)
“Mank” (Netflix)
“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)
“The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Don Cheadle (“Black Monday”)
Nicholas Hoult (“The Great”)
Eugene Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”)
Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”)
Ramy Youssef (“Ramy”)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Gillian Anderson (“The Crown”)
Helena Bonham Carter (“The Crown”)
Julia Garner (“Ozark”)
Annie Murphy (“Schitt’s Creek”)
Cynthia Nixon (“Ratched”)
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Fight for You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah” (Warner Bros.) – H.E.R., Dernst Emile II, Tiara Thomas
“Hear My Voice” from “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) – Daniel Pemberton, Celeste
“Io Si (Seen)” from “The Life Ahead” (Netflix) – Diane Warren, Laura Pausini, Niccolò Agliardi
“Speak Now” from “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios) – Leslie Odom Jr, Sam Ashworth
“Tigress & Tweed” from “The United States vs. Billie Holliday” (Hulu)
Best Motion Picture – Animated
“The Croods: A New Age” (Universal Pictures)
“Onward” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“Over the Moon” (Netflix)
“Soul” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“Wolfwalkers” (Cartoon Saloon)
MORE : Sia’s Music has a worse rating on Rotten Tomatoes than Cats
MORE : Sia’s response to Music backlash branded ‘concerning’ by autism charity
