The U.S. Government isn’t the only one pretending it’s the 1920s and ’30s. The newly rechristened Actor Awards, formerly known as The Screen Actors Guild Awards, have announced a “fashion theme” for its red carpet. Hoping to give the Met Gala a run for its money, The Actor Awards will reimagine “Hollywood Glamour From The ’20s and ’30s” as part of a new collaboration with Elle for the show’s red carpet.
Now, you might think that reimagining the “glamour” of the ’20s and ’30s might be a little on the nose for a time plagued by extreme economic precarity and a resurgence of fascist bloodletting. But don’t let the Gestapo running wild throughout the U.S. confuse you. This is merely an effort to “elevate fashion as a central part of the show’s creative expression” for the ever-elusive “global audience” that the show hopes to attract, according to Actor Awards showrunner and executive producer Jon Brockett. “It’s an opportunity to align the red carpet, the show and the culture around it into a single, cohesive moment.” That moment: The decades that led to World War II.
According to Variety, this is a tactic recently attempted by The Golden Globes, which was similarly inspired by the Met Gala. Variety notes that, like the Gala, the red carpet featured photo and video crews on either side and a photo-op on the stairs. Did it help? Well, no. Viewership declined 8% from last year. But maybe another reminder of the 1930s will be the key to unlocking the global audience.