Emma Watson, John Boyega, Idris Elba And Many More Join The Academy

IMAGE VIA EMPIRE ONLINE

In recent years The Academy of Motion Picture and Sciences – the organisation who picks the Oscar nominees and winners – have been described as just a group of elderly, white men who are out of touch with modern Hollywood.

This year’s Oscars saw a handful of actors boycotting and publicly shaming the event, including husband and wife power couple Will and Jada Pinkett Smith and director Spike Lee. The latter taking to Instagram and this also led to the #OscarsSoWhite.

#OscarsSoWhite... Again. I Would Like To Thank President Cheryl Boone Isaacs And The Board Of Governors Of The Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts And Sciences For Awarding Me an Honorary Oscar This Past November. I Am Most Appreciative. However My Wife, Mrs. Tonya Lewis Lee And I Will Not Be Attending The Oscar Ceremony This Coming February. We Cannot Support It And Mean No Disrespect To My Friends, Host Chris Rock and Producer Reggie Hudlin, President Isaacs And The Academy. But, 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!! It's No Coincidence I'm Writing This As We Celebrate The 30th Anniversary Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday. Dr. King Said "There Comes A Time When One Must Take A Position That Is Neither Safe, Nor Politic, Nor Popular But He Must Take It Because Conscience Tells Him It's Right". For Too Many Years When The Oscars Nominations Are Revealed, My Office Phone Rings Off The Hook With The Media Asking Me My Opinion About The Lack Of African-Americans And This Year Was No Different. For Once, (Maybe) I Would Like The Media To Ask All The White Nominees And Studio Heads How They Feel About Another All White Ballot. If Someone Has Addressed This And I Missed It Then I Stand Mistaken. As I See It, The Academy Awards Is Not Where The "Real" Battle Is. It's In The Executive Office Of The Hollywood Studios And TV And Cable Networks. This Is Where The Gate Keepers Decide What Gets Made And What Gets Jettisoned To "Turnaround" Or Scrap Heap. This Is What's Important. The Gate Keepers. Those With "The Green Light" Vote. As The Great Actor Leslie Odom Jr. Sings And Dances In The Game Changing Broadway Musical HAMILTON, "I WANNA BE IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS". People, The Truth Is We Ain't In Those Rooms And Until Minorities Are, The Oscar Nominees Will Remain Lilly White. (Cont'd)

A photo posted by Spike Lee (@officialspikelee) on Jan 18, 2016 at 5:03am PST

Now, it looks like the Academy has listened to everyone from industry experts to audiences, and they have now invited a record-high 683 people to join The Academy. 46% are female and 41% are people of colour.

Those invited include (deep breaths everyone) John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Emma Watson (Harry Potter series), Idris Elba and this Beasts of No Nation director Cary Fukunaga, Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), Creed director Ryan Coolger and star Michael B. Jordan, Chadwick Boseman (Captain America: Civil War), 2016 Oscar winners Brie Larson (Room), Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl) and Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) and the Wachowski sisters and so many more.

image via Getty Images/ Todd Williamson; left to right;
Ryan Coogler, Sylvester Stallone, Sue Kroll, Michael B. Jordan

See the full list here.

If all 683 people accept the invitation, the majority of males will drop from 75% to 73% and there has also been a decrease of white people from the overly large 92% to 89%.

These are still large numbers, but it’s about time The Academy did something and they’re getting a great range of people working in the industry, and not only women and ethnic minorities but also young and older.

Boyega praised the Academy’s push for more diversity via this Twitter.

Always a blessing to be one of the many Oscar voters that will hopefully spark change. Big thanks! #classof2016 pic.twitter.com/IeElJWI0EB

— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) 30 June 2016