Academy Members Applaud Oscars' Push for Diversity

AWARDS BEAT

Immediate reaction within the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to president Cheryl Boone Isaacs’ statement promising “dramatic steps” to increase diversity ranged from skepticism that AMPAS could make real changes to enthusiasm over the idea of diversity as a true Oscars priority.

But most members surveyed by TheWrap applauded Isaacs’ comments, in which she described herself as “heartbroken and frustrated” over the nominations that excluded many potential black nominees.

And Isaacs was not even the first Academy official to issue a call for diversity on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — she was just the first to do so publicly.

Also Read: Oscars 'Heartbroken' Over Lack of Diversity, Academy Pledges 'Big Changes'

Early in the day, according to members who spoke to TheWrap, screenwriter Phil Alden Robinson, a member of the Academy’s Board of Governors and the board’s secretary, sent an email to other members and governors urging that each branch make a major push for increased diversity.

Robinson called on governors to examine the membership requirements within their branches with an eye to bringing in more minority members, and also encouraged them to identify existing minority members within their branch who would be willing to run for office to make the board more diverse.

Isaacs is currently the only African-American member of the Board of Governors, and one of only 17 women on the 51-member board. She issued her statement after a public outcry over the failure of Academy voters to nominate any non-white acting nominees for the second consecutive year.

Also Read: Oscar Nominations Renew #OscarsSoWhite Backlash

Among the African-American performers who were overlooked in Oscars nominations: Michael B. Jordan for “Creed,” Idris Elba for “Beasts of No Nation,” Will Smith for “Concussion” and the cast of “Straight Outta Compton,” which was nominated for screenplay by the Writers Branch (typically the most adventurous AMPAS branch) but left out of the Best Picture and acting races.

“They’re not embarrassed today,” one Academy member and former governor said. “They’re disgusted.”

The steps urged by Robinson could be part and parcel of the campaign described by Isaacs, which focuses on the invitations to membership that will be sent out in the spring of this year.

“The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership,” she wrote. “In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond.”

Also Read: Nina Simone Sings a Song for MLK in Trailer for Netflix Doc (Exclusive Video)

That emphasis dovetailed with the opinion of one member who supported Isaacs’ statements and told TheWrap: “The problem is not the nominations. It’s the makeup of the Academy, and more than that the makeup of Hollywood.”

But other members were skeptical of the organization’s ability to truly change the makeup or biases of the Academy, which includes almost 6,300 voting members. “Any way you slice it, it’s a knee-jerk reaction,” one member said, who believed the way to increase the diversity of nominations would be to expand the Best Picture field to 10 (which would presumably have included “Straight Outta Compton”) or turn the nomination voting over to select committees instead of the general membership, the way the Television Academy handles Emmy nominations.

With Isaacs’ statement focusing entirely on the admission of members later this year, it raises the question of whether an organization the size of the Academy can be changed significantly just through an influx of new members. Many AMPAS-watchers have suggested that any real Academy makeover would have to also include purging the voting rolls of older members who have not worked in the movie industry in years or even decades.

Also Read: Black Hollywood Calls Out Oscars for Lack of Diversity: It's 'Embarrassing'

That, however, would be a huge step that would likely anger an enormous number of members, and one that Isaacs’ statement does not address.

“There’s an argument to be made that you should have to be an active participant in the industry in order to be eligible to vote,” one member said. “But eliminating voting members would require a massive bylaws change.”

Added the member, “The irony is, if Hollywood is not open to diversity, then we’re in real trouble as a country, because Hollywood is supposed to be liberal and open.”

14 Award-Worthy Performances by Non-White Actors the Academy Overlooked (Photos)

Idris Elba, "Beasts of No Nation"
Netflix
Abraham Attah, "Beasts of No Nation"
Netflix
Mya Taylor, "Tangerine"
Magnolia Pictures
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, "Tangerine"
Magnolia Pictures
Jason Mitchell, "Straight Outta Compton"
Universal
Will Smith, "Concussion"
Sony
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, "Concussion"
Sony
Michael B. Jordan, "Creed"
Warner Bros.
Tessa Thompson, "Creed"
Warner Bros.
Benicio del Toro, "Sicario"
Lionsgate
Oscar Isaac, "Ex Machina"
A24
John Boyega, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
Disney
Samuel L. Jackson, "The Hateful Eight"
The Weinstein Company
Shameik Moore, "Dope"
Open Road

1 of 15

From Idris Elba in ”Beasts of No Nation“ to Mya Taylor in ”Tangerine,“ these roles prove the Oscars needn’t be so white

View In Gallery

Who's Boycotting Oscars So Far - And Who's Just Mad (Photos)

Spike Lee

The director has refused to attend this year's Academy Awards because no people of color were nominated. "How is it possible for the 2nd consecutive year all 20 contenders under the actor category are white? And let’s not even get into the other branches. 40 white actors in 2 years and no flava at all. We can’t act?! WTF!!” he tweeted.
Getty Images
Jada Pinkett Smith

The actress -- whose husband, Will Smith, was snubbed for Best Actor for "Concussion" -- pondered on social media whether people of color should participate in the Oscars at all. “At the Oscars, people of color are always welcomed to give out awards, even entertain, but we are rarely recognized for our artistic accomplishments.
Getty Images
Will Smith

The actor announced that he will not be attending this year’s Oscars ceremony in support of the boycott proposed by wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

"At this current time, we’re uncomfortable to stand there and say, ‘This is OK,'" he said.
Getty Images
David Oyelowo

The actor, while presenting a King Legacy Award to Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, pointed out that this is the second year in a row the Academy has failed to nominate a single non-white actor. "For 20 opportunities to celebrate actors of color, actresses of color, to be missed last year is one thing; for that to happen again this year is unforgivable.”
Getty Images
Michael Moore

The filmmaker told TheWrap that he plans to join the boycott, and said "I thought about this all day, and I don’t plan to go to the show, I don’t plan to watch it and I don’t plan to go to an Oscar party."
Will Packer

The "Straight Outta Compton" producer called the situation "embarrassing" in a lengthy social media post. “To my Academy colleagues, WE HAVE TO DO BETTER. Period."
Getty Images
Chris Rock

The actor-director, who will host the Academy Awards on February 28, made light of the controversy. He tweeted a new Oscars promo along with the caption “The #Oscars. The White BET Awards.”
The Academy
Tyrese Gibson

The “Furious 7” star called on Academy Awards host Chris Rock to pull out of the ceremony after no people of color were nominated in its 20 acting categories. He also went into more detail on social media, saying if the situation involved the under-representation of LGBT nominees, there is no question things would be different.
Getty Images
Don Cheadle

The actor joined the discussion Sunday by tweeting at Chris Rock, saying he’ll be “parking cars” at the Hollywood & Highland complex the night of the ceremony.
Getty Images
Whoopi Goldberg

"The View" host tore into the lack of diversity during Tuesday's episode: “We have this conversation every year and it pisses me off."
The View
BET Founder Bob Johnson

Johnson didn't just blame Oscar voters for the lack of diversity among this year's nominees, he told TheWrap studios must greenlight more diverse projects. He also implored African Americans to tell their own stories rather than depend on the Hollywood establishment.

"If you’re the African-American society and you wait for white America to say ‘I’m gonna tell your stories,’ first of all, they don’t know them or appreciate them, and second of all, that is not in their DNA,” he said.
Getty Images
Mark Ruffalo

The "Hulk" actor told BBC Breakfast that he is "weighing" taking part in the Oscar boycott, stating that "the entire American system is rife with white privilege racism. It goes into our justice system.” He later took to Twitter to clarify his statements, in which he said that he will be attending the awards "in support of the victims of clergy Sexual Abuse and good journalism."
Getty Images
Earl Ofari Hutchinson

Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson said his organization will "launch a nationwide 'TV Tune Out' of the Oscars ceremony, February 28. This will send the message that diversity in the film industry must be more than a hollow promise."
Getty Images
Al Sharpton’s National Action Network

Al Sharpton’s civil rights organization is calling for a boycott of this year’s Oscars. “The lack of African Americans and women excluded from the major categories of Oscar nominees is appalling,” the chapter’s political director, Najee Ali said in a statement. “Cheryl Boone Issacs, the African-American president of the academy, is nothing but a pawn, and the black face of Hollywood’s system and culture that is racist, sexist and lacks true diversity.”
Getty Images