What is an inclusion rider and what did Frances McDormand mean by it at the Oscars?

Frances McDormand stole the show at this year’s Oscars with an acceptance speech that heralded inclusivity and diversity in the acting industry.

Speaking on stage, the Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri actor asked all of the female nominees in the audience to stand up, to highlight to lack of female representation in the industry.

But by the end of her speech, “many Oscars viewers were left baffled,” says the Evening Standard, when Frances McDormand finished with the phrase “I have two words for you: inclusion rider.”

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So what is an “inclusion rider” and what did McDormand mean by it?

Following the ceremony, McDormand elaborated on what she said on stage. “I just found out about this last week,” the actress told reporters. “It means you can ask for and/or demand at least 50% diversity in, not only casting, but also the crew.”

The concept was first explored in a TED talk in 2016 by Stacy Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California.

Having examined the data on diversity in US-produced films, which showed that casting was not representative of the population, she suggested that an “equity clause” or an “inclusion rider” could be part of the solution.

“The real goal is to counter bias in the auditioning and casting process,” Smith told The Guardian.

“The goal is that talent can take the inclusion rider and adopt it in ways that make sense for their values and their beliefs.”

She added: “The typical feature film has about 40 to 45 speaking characters in it.

“I would argue that only 8 to 10 of those characters are actually relevant to the story. The remaining 30 or so roles, there’s no reason why those minor roles can’t match or reflect the demography of where the story is taking place.

“An equity rider by an A-lister in their contract can stipulate that those roles reflect the world in which we actually live.”