Steven Spielberg Approves Change, but Weary of Academy's Direction
Steven Spielberg is one of the most respected members of the Hollywood community, so when he weighs in on something like the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, people are going to listen..
Via THR's Awards Chatter podcast, Spielberg was surprised that the Academy did not nominate either Straight Outta Compton for Best Picture or Beasts of No Nation's Idris Elba for Best Supporting Actor.
He also had criticism toward the Academy "taking votes away from Academy members who have paid their dues and maybe are retired now."
"I'm a huge supporter of the Academy Awards. I was surprised at some of the individuals who were not nominated. I was surprised at Idris [Elba] - I was surprised at that. I think that was one of the best performances in the supporting actor and the actor category, was Idris. I've seen Straight Outta Compton - my wife and I saw it when it first opened, the first weekend, and it just rocked our world. It was incredible. I was very surprised to see that omission.
"You have to look back a couple of years, where Lupita [Nyong'o] was recognised for 12 Years a Slave [and] 12 Years a Slave won best picture, you know?" Spielberg went on, suggesting that racism could be ruled out of the conversation that tries to explain the exclusions of 2015.
"I don't believe that there is inherent or dormant racism because of the amount of white Academy members... they [voters] have served proudly and this is their industry too," Spielberg said of his distaste toward stripping votes. "- to strip their votes? I'm not 100 percent behind that."
Source: THR
