O’Shea Jackson Jr., star of Straight Outta Compton, was among the African-Americans passed over for an Oscar nod this year.
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences experienced a severe backlash when it was revealed that – for the second year in a row – all 20 acting nominees were white.
He then continued to say that they should have put a slave in the movie joking that he thinks that was where they messed up. “When you develop ‘Straight Outta Compton, ‘ you just want to stay true and you want it to be authentic, and some people just don’t get it. It’s a very specific experience”.
“Straight Outta Compton” (R), the story of gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A., is a musical biopic in the urban warzone of South Central L.A. It’s an Oscar nominee for its screenplay and is also available on a longer director’s cut. “I never used to go anyway”. “We have to start making more movies in order to get more movies nominated”. If they can’t prove it that will also look bad and it will look like they are just trying to add a black film.
It seemed like a joke to many considering that it was a year that saw movies such as Selma, a film about Martin Luther King Jr, which was the best reviewed film of the year, shut out of every category but best picture.
“If the academy is not going to reflect who we really are and is not interested in celebrating the artistic array of this world, in terms of ethnicity, we are right to turn off our televisions and not engage in all the hype of the Academy Awards”, Dunn said.
Soon after, academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs issued a statement promising “big changes” at the organization, but just what those changes might be – and when they would be implemented – are open to question. I am fortunate enough to do a lot of my work in Los Angeles. “Race was the furthest thing from my mind when I cast my ballot, and in fact I nominated one person of color for an award”. It’s what are deemed merely entertaining stories.
Asked about the positive reception for Straight Outta Compton from critics and moviegoers, he replies, “It was great”. Forrest Whitaker won an Academy Award for playing Idi Amin, not exactly a pleasant individual.
Idris Elba has chose to speak out about #OscarsSoWhite and the general controversy surrounding the Oscars. I think he gave one of the best performances that I saw all of past year.
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Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Johnson in Creed. “We got accolades from all levels, from our core fans to our curious fans, from people who didn’t even think they wanted to see that movie”. “You know what I mean? They only picked eight this year”, he said, referencing the Academy’s convoluted nomination process.
