Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released their nominations for the 87th Academy Awards and many have criticized the academy for shutting out the film “Selma” from the four biggest acting categories.
With the so-called controversy over the film’s lack of nominations continuing, on Sunday, CNN’s Reliable Sources brought on actor Gbenga Akinnagbe, star of HBO’s “The Wire” and Fox’s “24" to slam Hollywood as lacking diversity. Akinnagbe argued that Hollywood is “very similar to Congress. We get these rules and regulations that benefit one class because we have a Congress full of millionaires. That's pretty much how Hollywood tends to work.”
The segment began with CNN’s Brian Stelter noting “the startling lack of diversity in the Academy itself. Look at the stats here, 94 percent Caucasian, 77 percent male. Black makes up about 2 percent of the Academy voters, Latinos less than 2 percent, and Oscar voters have a median age of 62.”
The CNN host then asked Akinnagbe whether “we should be surprised that if the Academy doesn't reflect the diversity of the country, that the results of the nominations don't reflect the diversity of the country?” The actor eagerly took Stelter’s bait and laid into Hollywood and even implied that awards shows must have minority nominations regardless of the quality of the film:
There’s only -- there’s almost -- only so much rage you can have against that system, but you should try to make it equitable and just. But more of our energy should go towards making our own system, our own projects, like Ava is doing, and having audiences come out to that, and reconditioning American audiences, not just black audiences, but American audience, to be able to see films and television shows where you have black and Asian and Latino leads and these stories are viable and real. But we’re not trained to see that.
As the segment progressed, Akinnagbe went on to blame Selma’s lack of Academy Award nominations on the director’s unwillingness to make non-controversial films:
Ava [DuVernay] is not a safe black woman...she would be more likely to be nominated if she was more demure, if she kept her opinions to herself, if she didn’t make projects having to do with political or racial issues.
Rather than push back against his guest’s claims of racial bias in Hollywood, Stelter lamented that “I’m sitting here, as a white guy, not wanting that to be true. You really believe that to be true?” The actor continued to beat the drums of racial injustice in Hollywood and concluded his remarks by referencing Ferguson evidence of the structural problems that exist in America and Hollywood:
I mean, have you seen what’s going out on the streets as far as these protests? I mean, this is our reality. And when I say our reality, I mean as far as American reality, not just black people. It ‘s interesting because people were very surprised about the indictments or lack of indictments with the Eric Garner case and so on. I was more surprised that, like, so many of our white brothers and sisters were surprised, because this is how people live every day.
See relevant transcript below.
CNN’s Reliable Sources
January 18, 2015
BRIAN STELTER: Welcome back. The nominations for the 87th Academy Awards are in. And for the first time since 1998, contenders for the all the biggest categories are all white. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is being criticized for its glaring lack of diversity. But should we really be surprised? I mean, let's consider what the e-mails leaked by the Sony cyber-attack showed us. We saw cases of women in Hollywood not being paid the same as men and jokes with clearly racial overtones about President Obama’s movie preferences.
And then there is this, the startling lack of diversity in the Academy itself. Look at the stats here, 94 percent Caucasian, 77 percent male. Black makes up about 2 percent of the Academy voters, Latinos less than 2 percent, and Oscar voters have a median age of 62. Joining me now is actor Gbenga Akinnagbe. He has starred on HBO’s “The Wire,” CBS’ “The Good Wife,” and Fox’s “24.” That’s where I remember you most recently, “24" on Fox. And I wanted to start with that data I just presented. Should we be surprised that if the Academy doesn't reflect the diversity of the country, that the results of the nominations don't reflect the diversity of the country?
GBENGA AKINNAGBE, ACTOR: No. No, not at all. It's very similar to Congress. We get these rules and regulations that benefit one class because we have a Congress full of millionaires. That's pretty much how Hollywood tends to work.
STELTER: You have remarked that the Hollywood star-making system is built on replicating itself like Congress.
AKINNAGBE: Yeah, yeah it’s encouraged to sustain itself. There's no incentive to change. And it is what it is. We can either rage against it or try to make it more equitable, but at the same time make our own machines and our own projects and get that out there.
STELTER: So, instead of going through their system, make your own system. So, have you tried to do that, and if so, how?
AKINNAGBE: I have. I have. I have been fortunate enough. I have been able to produce some films. A movie called “Newlyweeds,” we saw that at Sundance a couple years ago. Another movie called “Home.” So, I have gone into producing and writing as well. But I love acting, so I continue to do that as well.
STELTER: So, “Selma” was one of the big topics of conversation this week. It was nominated for best picture, but not any of the other big categories. And that seemed to be a surprise to a lot of people. We saw the White House have a screening on Friday night, which they say is a coincidence. And today we have Oprah Winfrey and others in Selma reenacting the march that took place there so many years ago.Do you think that -- have you seen the film, first of all?
AKINNAGBE: I have. I have seen the film.
STELTER: Because some people have said, well, maybe it is simply not as good a film as the others.
AKINNAGBE: No, it is a good film. Ava [DuVernay] had a private screening.
(CROSSTALK)
STELTER: The director.
AKINNAGBE: Ava [DuVernay], the director, had a private screening about a month or two ago, and I got to see the film up close with a lot of the people involved in it. And it’s -- not only is it a good film. It’s a well-thought- out, well-crafted film. So the fact that it was not nominated, it’s a shame, but it is not a surprise either, aside from the fact that it’s a good film from a black female director.
STELTER: But you say not surprising because of the system you are describing that perpetuates itself.
AKINNAGBE: Exactly. And on top of that, Ava [DuVernay] is not a safe black woman.
STELTER: What does that mean?
AKINNAGBE: Well, like if -- she would be more likely to be nominated if she was more demure, if she kept her opinions to herself, if she didn’t make projects having to do with political or racial issues.
STELTER: Now, I’m sitting here, as a white guy, not wanting that to be true. You really believe that to be true?
AKINNAGBE: I mean, have you seen what’s going out on the streets as far as these protests? I mean, this is our reality. And when I say our reality, I mean as far as American reality, not just black people. It ‘s interesting because people were very surprised about the indictments or lack of indictments with the Eric Garner case and so on. I was more surprised that, like, so many of our white brothers and sisters were surprised, because this is how people live every day.
STELTER: Before we go, let me show a quote from the one, the only Al Sharpton. Let me put it up on screen. He said, “Right now” -- and this is reacting to the Oscar nominations. “Right now, Hollywood is like the Rocky Mountains.” He said, “The higher up it goes, the whiter it looks.” He said he wants to have some sort of protest of the Oscars. But does that get you anywhere? I mean, does that get him anywhere? Does that get people who are upset by the snubs anywhere?
AKINNAGBE: I think it is like I said before. It’s its own system. There’s only -- there’s almost -- only so much rage you can have against that system, but you should try to make it equitable and just. But more of our energy should go towards making our own system, our own projects, like Ava is doing, and having audiences come out to that, and reconditioning American audiences, not just black audiences, but American audience, to be able to see films and television shows where you have black and Asian and Latino leads and these stories are viable and real. But we’re not trained to see that.
STELTER: That’s sort of the dream of digital distribution as well, isn’t it?
AKINNAGBE: Exactly.
STELTER: And let me mention real quick, the head of the Academy said: “It was a very competitive time. A lot of great work’s been done. I’m very happy ‘Selma’ is included in our best picture nominations.” That was their comment about this.
AKINNAGBE: That’s nice.
(LAUGHTER)
STELTER: I will leave it there. Gbenga, thanks for being here. Great talking with you.
AKINNAGBE: Thank you. Thanks for having me
