David Oyelowo: Oscars snubbing actors of color is 'unforgivable'

David Oyelowo speaks out about the lack of diversity among Oscar nominees.

(Image credit: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)

published 19 January 2016

Add British actor David Oyelowo to the list of entertainers slamming this year's whitewashed Oscar nominations.

Oyelowo, who was notably snubbed in 2015 for his leading turn in Selma, told The Hollywood Reporter that he had talked to Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs privately about his omission.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

The reason why the Oscars are so important is because it is the zenith, it is the epitome, it is the height of celebration of artistic endeavor within the filmmaking community. We grow up aspiring, dreaming, longing to be accepted into that august establishment because it is the height of excellence. I would like to walk away and say it doesn't matter, but it does, because that acknowledgement changes the trajectory of your life, your career, and the culture of the world we live in. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Explore More

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox