The new voice of the Oscars has an NC accent. It’s also a first for the gay community.
On Sunday night, when the stars glimmer on the Oscars’ stage, the world will hear Janora McDuffie’s well-enunciated purr — a voice she started cultivating in her Durham hometown.
It’s a warm voice, she said. “Excited. Genuine. Smooth with a sprinkle of Southern charm.”
And on Hollywood’s biggest night, her role as official welcomer counts as a coup for North Carolina, but also as a breakthrough for the queer community that McDuffie represents.
“I feel like, one, it’s an honor,” she said. “It’s a huge honor and not just representing Black women, not just representing the LGBTQ+ community, but representing home. I have such a huge place in my heart for Durham, for Chapel Hill. So I’m thankful for the opportunity to shine.”
The 94th Academy Awards feature Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall as hosts.
As announcer, McDuffie takes over for Randy Thomas, who for the last decade provided the show’s first female voice.
Breaking stereotypes and increasing compassion
McDuffie, who came out in 2009, said her appearance provides a chance to break stereotypes and increase understanding.
“Representation and visibility matters,” she said. “It’s a way to spread love, compassion, break down barriers, build bridges, however you want to put it. If it can have a positive effect, I feel I have a responsibility to step up to the plate and do so.”
A leader at UNC-Chapel Hill
Born in Durham, McDuffie graduated from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and then UNC-Chapel Hill, where she was an active volunteer.
For a 1998 charity walk to benefit the Sonja Haynes Stone Black Cultural Center, she told the N&O, “The center is a unifying force in the community, and we want to raise more awareness among students and members of the community about its regional and national acclaim as an outstanding academic and cultural resource.”
At her graduation in 1999, as senior class vice president, she got more applause than anyone but retired UNC basketball Coach Dean Smith.
She has appeared in TV shows, movies, and video games such as “New Girl,” “Speechless,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Waiting for Tomorrow” and “Criminal Minds.”
A Tar Heel Oscar nominee
Another North Carolina native is in the running for an Oscar on Sunday night. Ariana DeBose is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in the remake of “West Side Story.” She already has won many other awards for the role on her way to Oscar.
DeBose is Afro-Latina and became the first Latina performer to win an individual film prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards this year.
If she wins the Oscar, she’ll be the first openly queer woman of color to receive an acting Academy Award.
But McDuffie said she felt boosted when she arrived at the studio to do some pre-recorded spots and — needing a break — stepped into a restroom and there was a painting by Durham artist Ernie Barnes.
“To me that was a sign,” she said. “Durham’s got me.”
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 11:57 AM.