Yahoo Movies Oscar nominee is "very sorry" for controversial blackface sketch
Oscar nominee Fernanda Torres has apologised after a sketch of her in blackface has resurfaced.
The Brazilian star recently received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for I'm Still Here, which comes after a Golden Globe win for the same role.
However, she has attracted controversy after a 17-year-old TV sketch reemerged online, in which she portrays a character in blackface. Playing multiple roles in the show, one included Torres being a Black house cleaner who ultimately was empowered by the home's owner.
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Sharing a statement in response, Torres said she was "very sorry for this" and is "making this statement as it is important for me to address this swiftly to avoid further pain and confusion".
"At that time, despite the efforts of Black movements and organizations, the awareness of the racist history and symbolism of blackface hadn’t yet entered the mainstream public consciousness in Brazil," she added (via Deadline).
"Thanks to better cultural understanding and important but incomplete achievements in this century, it’s very clear now in our country and everywhere that blackface is never acceptable."
Torres said it's an important conversation that must continue to "prevent the normalization of racist practices then and now".
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"As an artist and global citizen, and from my open heart, I remain attentive and committed to the pursuit of vital changes needed to live in a world free from inequality and racism," she added.
Torres made history in the recent Oscar nominations as Brazil's second star to score a nod in the Best Actress category after her own mother Fernanda Montenegro in 1999.
This year's nominations are led by musical Emilia Pérez with 13 nods, with lead star Karla Sofía Gascón becoming the first openly trans person to be nominated for an acting Oscar.
Wicked and The Brutalist followed behind with 10 nominations apiece and Conclave and A Complete Unknown with eight each.
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