They say laughter is the best medicine — and you’ll need it if you’re a comedian hoping to win an Oscar.
A new study reveals that actors in dramatic films are nine times more likely to be nominated for an Oscar than those in comedies.
That’s not surprising, but this may be: The study also found that women are twice as likely to get the Oscar nod than men.
The joint study was conducted by the University of California-Los Angeles and Harvard University. The authors of the study used the online database's records to look at every Oscar-eligible film made between 1927 (the year of the first Oscars ceremony) and 2005.
“The odds of being nominated for an Academy Award are so much greater for performers who appear in dramas that — at least this time of year — it really pays to be a drama queen,” says study co-author Gabriel Rossman.
Fellow author Nicole Esparza said the "underrepresentation" of women in films works in their favor when it comes to nominations.
"Because there are fewer female than male performers in films, and both are eligible for the same number of awards, actresses stand a better chance of being nominated than actors," she added.
"It's a simple matter of arithmetic."
The study also found that actors with a previous Oscar nomination under their belt had an increased chance of being nominated a second time.
"This is an instance of what sociologists call the 'Matthew Effect,' after Matthew 25:29, in which Jesus says, 'For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich,'" Esparza explained.
"Just as the rich tend to get richer and popular web sites get even more traffic, so do honors seem to pile onto those who have already been honored, be they scientists or movie stars."
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