The Razzie Awards, given yearly for the so-called “worst” movies of the year, have withdrawn one of their picks. 12-year-oldFirestarteractress Ryan Kiera Armstrong is no longer nominated for “worst actress” after a storm of criticism.The Razzies, a.k.a. The Golden Raspberry Awards, handed out since 1981, honors/dishonors a selection of films in any given year, with this year’s “worst actress” selectionsincluding Bryce Dallas Howard, Diane Keaton, Kaya Scodelario, and Alicia Silverstone.Armstrong,who starred in the 2022 remake of the classic Stephen King adaptationFirestarter,had initially been among those nominees after the movie failed to hit with audiences or critics. TheFirestarterrole, a young girl cursed with telekinetic abilities, who is on the run with her father, was portrayed by a young Drew Barrymore in the 1984 version that, along with Steven Spielberg’sE.T., put the young actress on the map.RELATED:What Stephen King’s Firestarter Needs To Do To Be A Successful RebootArmstrong was removed from the nomination ballot after several people took to Twitter to object to her inclusion. “The Razzies are run by soulless people. Nominating a 12-year-old? F— them. That child could grow to be amazing if you haven’t gotten in their head,” Tweeted Devon Sawa, known forfilms likeFinal DestinationandLittle Giants. Fellow child actor, 11-year-oldWandaVisionstar Julian Hilliard, added, “The Razzies are already mean-spirited & classless, but to nominate a kid is just repulsive & wrong. Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better."
The official Razzies Twitter account posted, ”In light of feedback (which we’ve come to agree with) the @RazzieAwards will not be including Ryan Kiera Armstrong on the final voting ballot. @DevonESawa." In a statement obtained byVariety, Razzies founder John Wilson apologized and said they won’t nominate people under 18 anymore. He called the outrage “valid criticism” that “brought our attention to how insensitive we’ve been in this instance.” In his statement toVariety, Wilson added, “We also believe a public apology is owed Ms. Armstrong, and wish to say we regret any hurt she experienced as a result of our choices."
While critical and audienceresponse to theFirestarterremakehas been largely negative, as evidenced by the performance of Armstrong attracting the attention of the Razzie nominations in the first place, many have praised the young actress' other performances. This includes her role as one of the best villains in the franchise for her role in 2021’sAmerican Horror Story: Cape Fear, a violin prodigy turned bloodthirsty vampire. The praise is no small feat in a show whose cast includes Evan Peters, Finn Wittrock, and Jessica Lang as some of its most famous antagonists.
