Supporting diversity. Reese Witherspoon is the latest celeb to weigh in on the 2016 #OscarsSoWhite controversy, and is calling on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to diversify their voters
Taking to Facebook on Thursday, January 21, Witherspoon made her position clearly known by sharing her thoughts on a recent news article.
“I really appreciated this article in TIME on the lack of racial and gender diversity in this year’s Oscar nominations,” Witherspoon, 39, wrote, referring to the publication’s feature “The Oscar Nominations Prove the Academy Still Doesn’t Get It.”
“So disappointed that some of 2015’s best films, filmmakers and performances were not recognized,” she wrote. “Nothing can diminish the quality of their work, but these filmmakers deserve recognition. As an Academy member, I would love to see a more diverse voting membership,” she concluded.
Witherspoon’s stand against the 2016 Oscar nominations, which included only white actors and actresses in the four main categories, puts her in good company.
Other A-listers objecting to the lack of diversity in this year’s nominations include Whoopi Godlberg, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, George Clooney and Lupita Nyong’o.
And, according to The New York Times, the Academy is listening. The outlet reported on Thursday that news of their planned action to make the awards more diverse could be announced as early as next week.
Witherspoon won a best actress Oscar in 2005 for her role in Walk the Line, and received a second nomination last year (when all nominees in the top four categories were also white) for her performance in Wild.
