Will Smith is now praising the Oscars for how they handled the lack of diversity in this year’s Academy Awards.
Will Smith was among the first actors to speak out regarding the lack of diversity in this year’s Oscar nominations, joining Spike Lee and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith in saying he would not be attending the Academy Awards.
But now the actor has praised the speed of the Oscar’s reaction to the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.
“I was very pleased with how quickly and aggressively the Academy responded,” Smith told the BBC on Friday, noting recent actions including plans by the Academy to overhaul its membership process. “But I want to be very clear about the spirit of what I’m saying. This has nothing to do with me, this has nothing to do with awards – that’s a very frivolous reason for me to put my hand up and make a statement. For me this is much more about the idea of diversity and inclusion.”
“For me this is much more about the idea of diversity and inclusion.”
Will Smith added that there’s a problem in America and he wants to solve it.
He said: ‘This is not about us and them, it’s about we. I’m a member of the Academy, so this is a problem that we all have to solve collectively. For me the only reason it’s an issue this year is because it feels like a regression. There is something happening in our country that’s being reflected in Hollywood, that’s being reflected in the Academy that I for one want to be a part of making the adjustment. I want to be part of the solution.”
‘I want to be part of the solution.’
Will Smith added: “So it’s much more a domestic family issue than a civil rights issue, it’s a problem that we all have to solve.”
