For someone who’s vying for the Best Supporting Actor award at this year’s Oscars, and a rumored front-runner for the coveted award, Sylvester Stallone should very well make his presence felt during this year’s Academy Awards.
However, the 69-year-old actor said during Monday’s Oscars luncheon that he is considering giving up his seat at the awards ceremony due to lack of diversity in this year’s nominations.
Almost 150 stars gathered for the award luncheon which took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. As per Variety, Monday’s get-together marked the 35th edition of the luncheon.
In attendance were nominees Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lady Gaga, Matt Damon, Rachel McAdams, and Alejandro G. Inarritu among others.
The event was hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors.
A class photo of this year’s nominees was also released showing other nominated actors such as Mark Ruffalo, Eddie Redmayne, Brie Larson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Stallone.
According to People, after receiving his nomination for the film “Creed,” Stallone immediately consulted “Creed” director Ryan Coogler, who is African-American, about whether he should or should not attend the event.
The “Rambo” actor said that he heavily relied on what his director wanted him to do. He stated that if Coogler didn’t want him to attend, he wouldn’t come.
Coogler, for his part, said that Stallone should attend the event so that he could stand up for the film.
Many felt that Coogler and Stallone’s “Creed” co-star Michael B. Jordan were snubbed by the Academy voters this year. Stallone also acknowledged that the director was responsible for him factoring into the awards race.
The veteran actor also gave due credit to Jordan who has also helped him become a better actor. Stallone adds that Jordan should have been given a lot more respect and attention.
The 88th Oscars will take place on February 28 at the Beverly Hilton in L.A. and is being met with a massive controversy concerning the lack of diversity between the nominees.
Chris Rock, an African-American, will host the ceremony, but has stated that since the nominees were released last month, he would change his spiels in respect to his brothers and sisters of color.
A dozen protesters have made their presence known outside the event venue to protest that no actors of color were nominated for Hollywood’s most coveted honor for the second year in a row.
Protesters have draped a black cloth in front of the venue as a symbol of diversity. This year’s upcoming Oscars was even branded #OscarsSoWhite
Spike Lee, Tyrese Gibson, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her husband Will Smith are among the African-American stars who have already signaled that they would not be attending the event and have called for other actors to boycott the February 28 ceremony.
Many expected that Smith’s performance in “Concussion,” Jordan and Tessa Thompson’s roles in “Creed,” Idris Elba’s work in “Beast of No Nation,” along with any of the actors of “Straight Out of Compton” would be singled out for nods, but instead, all-white actors and actresses were nominated.
As per The Guardian, the Academy addressed the controversy by announcing a sweeping series of substantive changes to increase diversity among its members.
Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs have released a statement addressing the controversy and detailing an effort to help fix the issue.
The Board of Governors has also pledged to double the number of minority female members by the year 2020.
The “Rocky” actor led the charge when many of this year’s nominees were called upon to address the topic backstage.
“The Expendables” star is celebrating his first nomination since gaining two nods in 1977 for one of his notable films “Rocky.”