The Academy addresses controversy surrounding the Oscar nominations which have no single black actors at all on this year's list.
- Jan 15, 2016
AceShowbiz - The Academy President responds to the lack of diverse Oscar nominees this year. Dominated by white actors, the 88th annual Academy Awards snubbed "Straight Outta Compton" cast, "Concussion" actor Will Smith, "Creed" male lead Michael B. Jordan, and "Beasts of No Nation" actor Idris Elba.
"Of course I am disappointed," Cheryl Boone Isaacs told Deadline in a statement, "but is not to take away the greatness (of the films nominated). This has been a great year in film, it really has across the board. You are never going to know what is going to appear on the sheet of paper until you see it. We have got to speed it up."
Already the nominations sparked criticism from Hollywood public figures. Golden Globe host Ricky Gervais quipped on Twitter, "Why did the Oscars announce all the white nominees first?" Actor Joshua Malina deadpanned, "20 for 20! We did it. HUGE day for white actors. #Oscars2016." Actress Tracie Thoms tweeted, "Look at all that diversity in the Osc-- oh....Wait...."
We hate that we already predicted the #OscarNoms
https://t.co/ZIMs9KtJnp #OscarsSoWhite pic.twitter.com/hvSR0NiQbK
— The Nightly Show (@nightlyshow) January 14, 2016