Patricia Arquette feels that her late sister, Alexis Arquette, was snubbed by the Oscars In Memoriam segment during last night’s awards show.
“Alexis was a great actor, and had 70 credits, and was really brave to live her truth as a trans woman, and they didn’t include her in the memorial,” Patricia told ET after the ceremony on Sunday, February 26.
Patricia added that the exclusion of her trans sister, whose credits included Pulp Fiction and The Wedding Singer, was also a “disappointment” given the current climate with President Donald Trump, who recently revoked federal guidelines protecting transgender students in public schools.
“I think that was a real slight to the trans community, especially at this time when trans kids can’t even go to the bathroom in the United States of America at school,” Patricia added of her sister’s snub. “It says a lot about the lack of inclusion — trans kids can really never look at anyone and see their heroes, and I think that was a big mistake.”
Alexis died in September at the age of 47 after battling HIV for 29 years.
“I think they wanted to, you know, throw some cookies from the ceiling,” Patricia quipped of why she thinks Alexis was excluded, mocking host Jimmy Kimmel’s candy drop bit.
The Academy also faced flack for including producer Jan Chapman, who is very much alive, in the In Memoriam segment. As previously reported, the awards show featured Chapman’s photo in place of late costume designer Janet Patterson.
“I was devastated by the use of my image in place of my great friend and long-time collaborator Janet Patterson,” she wrote in an email to Variety on Monday. “[It’s] very disappointing … I am alive and well and an active producer.”