Academy members, including African-American president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, are reportedly highly offended at the charges of racism being hurled at them from stars such as Jada Pinkett Smith.
It’s hard to imagine a racist Academy would have recently awarded Jamie Foxx, Forest Whittaker, Denzel Washington, and Halle Berry, among others. But this year, thanks to the displeasure of celebrities like Smith and Spike Lee, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite has exploded, painting the Oscars as a racist event.
This couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the fact that Jada Pinkett Smith’s husband was not nominated for his role in Concussion (if you use a fake accent in a serious movie, you’re supposed to get an award– it’s like a rule, somewhere).
Now the Academy is responding.
“I voted for a number of black performers, and I was sorry they weren’t nominated,” Actress Penelope Ann Miller told The Hollywood Reporter. “But to imply that this is because all of us are racists is extremely offensive.”
“It was an extremely competitive year,” Miller said.
Other criticisms have been over the film Straight Outta Compton‘s exclusion.
Jeremy Larner, who is a member of the writer’s branch, said, “I have voted for may people of color,” he told THR. “I happen to think “Straight Outta Compton” is not a great film for reasons of structure and substance. I can imagine it is a powerful affirmation for those who share the assumptions of its music and see it as fans. But to me, a good film has to show a lot more than this one does.”
“I think when you make race the issue, it can divide people even further, and that’s what I worry about,” Miller added.
