ABC demands that “Carol” advert not show lesbian sex
ABC has refused an advert for the lesbian drama Carol due to the mild depiction of a sex scene between its main characters.
The Weinstein Company, which distributed the film, is considering “making adjustments to fit network TV execs’ requests” after ABC rejected their proposed advertisement. ABC demanded that Weinstein provide “more coverage on” the film’s stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara during a scene that features non-explicit nudity, according to The Guardian.
The advert was planned to run ahead of next month’s Academy Awards to entice members to vote for the film in the six categories it was nominated for. The Academy drew criticism from many after failing to nominate Carol for a Best Picture or Best Director Oscar, despite rave reviews (read our five-star review here). Blanchett and Mara are competing for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively.
Carol depicts the burgeoning love between an older married woman (Blanchett) and a young shop assistant (Mara) and was directed by openly gay filmmaker Todd Haynes. We called it “captivating, absorbing, all-encompassing” and “an instant-born classic” in our review.
Watch a rough cut of the original advert and let us know in the poll below if you think ABC should have rejected it.
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