While appearing at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend, Oscar winner John Legend opened up about the Academy’s latest initiative to double its number of women and diverse members by 2020.
“I don’t really have a stand on the boycott right now. I do believe that the Academy made a good move yesterday in trying to diversify the ranks in the Academy,” Legend told E! News. “I just became a member of the Academy this year. This is my first year voting and I think it’s important for the Academy to come closer to reflecting what the real population looks like.”
With 2016 marking the second consecutive year all-White actors have nabbed Oscar nominations, many in Hollywood including Rev. Al Sharpton and Spike Lee have expressed their frustration towards the Academy’s consistent lack of diversity. Others, like Jada Pinkett Smith, have gone as far to say they’ll be sitting out during the annual telecast this February.
Legend on the other hand, believes the problem with diversity is much bigger than the Academy. “I don’t think it’s the Academy’s responsibility solely because so much of the Academy is fed by who’s working in the industry and if people aren’t getting jobs in the industry, they can’t be in the Academy because they aren’t working,” he explained. “It runs through Hollywood and it’s a bigger problem than the Oscars themselves and a bigger issue than just the Academy’s membership.”
Meanwhile, the expecting father is focusing on upcoming projects that will take center stage at Sundance. Not to mention his WGN scripted drama “Underground” premiering this March. In case you missed it, the singer is also supporting Southside With You, a film that chronicles the summer of 1989 when President Barack Obama wooed future wife Michelle, where he serves as an executive producer.
