No diversity here. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences received the wrath of the Internet on Thursday, Jan. 15, after announcing its nominees for the 2015 Oscars. All 20 nominees in acting categories are white — which makes the pool one of only a few instances of complete lack of diversity in nearly 20 years.
The last time all nominees were entirely white was in 2011, and before that, in 1998 for the 70th Annual Academy Awards.
Coincidentally, the Academy overlooked the lead actor in Selma, a biopic about Martin Luther King, Jr., on what would have been his birthday.
While the film was nominated in the Best Picture category, along with Birdman, Boyhood, and The Grand Budapest Hotel, actor David Oyelowo — who portrayed King in Selma and was arguably a top contender for Best Actor — was left off the nominees list.
Instead, the Academy selected Steve Carell (Foxcatcher), Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Michael Keaton (Birdman), and Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) as 2015 nominees in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role category.
Adding salt to the wound was director Ava DuVernay‘s snub in her respective category, which includes Alejandro G. Inarritu (Birdman), Richard Linklater (Boyhood), Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher), Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), and Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game).
The Internet criticized the Academy’s decision on Thursday using the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, after it was revealed that minorities were entirely left off the acting categories. Below are reactions from people on Twitter.
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: White Person White Person White Person White Person and finally, White Person #OscarNoms
— YeaYouRite (@YeaYouRite) January 15, 2015
“Have you heard about this hot new trend called ‘white men’?” – The Oscars
— Kevin O’Keeffe (@kevinpokeeffe) January 15, 2015
I think the Oscars made exactly the white decisions this year.
— Paula Pell (@perlapell) January 15, 2015
Oscars make me so proud to be a straight white man! Even though everyone believed in us, we did it baby! Started from the top now we here!
— Josh Patten (@thejoshpatten) January 15, 2015
were the legos not white enough for the oscars
— lauren ashley bishop (@sbellelauren) January 15, 2015
#OscarNoms No female directors, screenwriters, or cinematographers. No actors of color. #diversity
— David Daniel (@CNNLADavid) January 15, 2015
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