Greta Gerwig's Globes snub shows 'how far we still need to go': Saoirse

Saoirse Ronan says "Little Women" director Greta Gerwig getting snubbed of a nomination at the Golden Globe Awards is a testament to the fact that there is a lot more to be done to make Hollywood inclusive. Gerwig is receiving critical acclaim for successfully adapting Louisa May Alcott's coming-of-age period novel. There was a strong buzz for her to land a nod in the best director category but that did not ultimately happen.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which organises the Globes ceremony, was heavily criticised for nominating no female directors in the coveted category. Responding to the outrage, HFPA president Lorenzo Soria said the association doesn't vote by "gender", but by "film and accomplishment".

"What happened is that we don't vote by gender. We vote by film and accomplishment," Soria told Variety at the Globes announcement on Monday morning. Ronan, who portrays the lead, Jo March, an aspiring author in the American Civil War era in "Little Women", addressed Gerwig's snub during her appearance on NBC's "Today" along with co-stars Florence Pugh and Eliza Scanlen.

"She (Gerwig) has made one of the best movies of the year. But it’s vital for something like this to happen, because it reminds us of how far obviously we still need to go. "She is a really brilliant filmmaker. We wouldn’t be here without her. Our performances rely so much on one another, but Greta is the one who brought us all together, and she’s the mastermind of the whole thing," Ronan said.

Pugh also weighed in on the matter and said she was "totally shocked" when she heard Gerwig did not get a nomination in the best director category. The shut-out of women in the category came as a surprise as this year many female filmmakers other than Gerwig -- Lulu Wang ("The Farewell"), Lorene Scafaria ("Hustlers"), Marielle Heller ("A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood") and Olivia Wilde ("Booksmart") -- put out films, some lauded by the audience and others critics, or both.

The HFPA nominated Bong Joon-ho for "Parasite", Sam Mendes for "1917", Todd Phillips for "The Joker", Martin Scorsese for "The Irishman" and Quentin Tarantino for "Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood". At the Globes, Ronan is nominated in the best actress drama category. The film has one another nomination -- best original score for Alexandre Desplat.

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