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Razzies withdraw Worst Actress nomination for Firestarter child star Ryan Kiera Armstrong

Two days after the Golden Raspberry Awards, a.k.a. the Razzies, unveiled their choices for the "worst" movies and performances of 2022, the organization is already backtracking on at least one category.

After facing criticism online for nominating Firestarter star Ryan Kiera Armstrong in the Worst Actress category despite the fact that she was only 11 years old when the Stephen King adaptation was filmed, the Razzies have announced that they are retracting her nomination. On top of that, the Razzies are instituting an age limit for future nominees. From now on, actors will have to be at least 18 years old in order to qualify for the Razzies' annual insults.

Firestarter
Firestarter

Ken Woroner/Universal Pictures Ryan Kiera Armstrong in 'Firestarter' (2022).

"Sometimes, you do things without thinking. Then you are called out for it. Then you get it. It's why the Razzies were created in the first place," Razzies co-founder John Wilson said in a statement to Variety. "The recent valid criticism of the choice of 11-year-old Armstrong as a nominee for one of our awards brought our attention to how insensitive we've been in this instance. As a result, we have removed Armstrong's name from the Final Ballot that our members will cast next month."

Wilson's statement continued, "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."

The Razzies' most-nominated movie this year was Blonde, but that was repudiated in a different way when star Ana de Armas earned a Best Actress nomination from the Academy Awards one day later.

Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best films.

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