Star of Lifetime’s ‘The Clark Sisters’ Slams Emmy Awards for Nomination Snub
Fans are still talking about the Lifetime biopic of gospel greats, The Clark Sisters. The film shattered Lifetime records, becoming the highest-rated premiere in several years. Social media users also sang the film’s praises for its casting. Despite such, the film did not make the list of Emmy nominations this year, something that Aunjanue Ellis is not happy about.
Aunjanue Ellis in ‘The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel’
The film depicts the rise of the quintet from their humble beginnings in their family church choir. Under the direction of their mother, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, the sisters’ transition from touring the church circuit throughout the US to bringing gospel music to the mainstream.
Dr. Moss Clark is one of the country’s greatest choir directors. She’s also responsible for popularizing the famous three-part harmony that is now widely sung in all musical genres.
The film shows the family’s highs and lows, family abuse, family betrayal, and ultimately how Dr. Moss Clark changed the trajectory of gospel music. Sexism in the industry is also a theme. Dr. Moss Clark faces opposition in pay and opportunity for her daughters.
The film also depicts the sacrifices Dr. Moss Clark makes. Her home church forces her to choose between managing her daughters, which is viewed as sinful. She steps away from her daughters work in order to salvage her relationship and reputation with her church.
The film marks Lifetime’s highest-rated original film in four years. Social media users praised the film for its content and casting, particularly Ellis as Dr. Moss Clark.
Aunjanue Ellis slams the Emmy Award for not recognizing ‘The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel’
As the Emmy Awards approaches, fans of the biopic are upset that the film is not nominated. During the airing of the film, many fans predicted that Ellis’s portrayal of Dr. Moss Clark would earn her an Emmy nomination. Fans believe Ellis’ portrayal is with the utmost conviction.
Ellis agrees, telling Essence Magazine that while she’s happy for the other nominees, the snub is disrespectful to The Clark Sisters and Dr. Moss Clark’s contributions. More so, she feels race is a factor in the snub.
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“I would be dishonest if I didn’t say that I didn’t want [to be nominated]. And the reason why I wanted it is because I wanted it for The Clark Sisters. I wanted to be able to give them the shine that they deserve,” she says.
She continues, “Because we can sing and dance, we make it look easy. Black women make it look easy and the rest of the world takes it for granted. When it’s done by other folks, we talk about the genius of someone, we talk about their work, we canonize them, we say these are the best of their generation. But we don’t talk about our work in those terms.”
Ellis believes that the lack of knowledge about Dr. Moss Clark and The Clark sisters is a contributing factor as to why the voting board did not give the film it’s just do.
