Breaking with tradition in the midst of an awards season that has come to colloquially become known as "the year of the woman," the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has tapped four actresses to present this year's lead acting awards at the 90th annual Oscars, Variety has learned.
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Jennifer Lawrence and Jodie Foster will announce the lead actress prize winner Sunday , while Jane Fonda and Helen Mirren will present lead actor.
Traditionally, the previous year's acting winners present the same categories for the opposite gender at the Oscars.
But in January, it was revealed that last year's lead actor winner Casey Affleck had withdrawn as a presenter from this year's ceremony, reportedly to avoid becoming a distraction due to two sexual harassment lawsuits he'd previously settled with the producer and cinematographer of his 2010 film I'm Not Here.
The Academy did not respond to a request for comment.
The move to enlist women for the lead acting presentations comes in the wake of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements that took centre stage this awards season, calling attention to sexual misbehaviour, gender inequality and power dynamics, among other issues.
Australian Associated Press