Ian McKellan: Gay Actors Affected By Oscars Diversity Row

British acting legend Sir Ian McKellan has shown his support for diversity at the Academy Awards… but says it’s not just black actors who are affected.

During an interview with Sky News, the 76-year-old actor explained that he has ‘sympathy’ for black actors, but that gay actors are also being ‘disregarded’.

“As a representative of the industry they’re in, it’s receiving complaints which I fully sympathise with,” he said. “It’s not only black people who’ve been disregarded by the film industry, it used to be women, it’s certainly gay people to this day.”

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Of course, the lack of diversity in Hollywood has been highlighted recently after the official Oscar nominations were announced… revealing that there were no black (or ethnic minority) actors in any of the top categories.

And the same goes for Best Director.

“These are all legitimate complaints,” he added. “And the Oscars are the focus of those complaints of course.”

The 2016 Academy Awards nominations have already sparked plenty of controversy. After all, this is the second year in a row where the academy has failed to nominate a single black actor or director.

And numerous big names have already decided to boycott the awards ceremony. Most prominently, Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith have decided to boycott the awards, with director Spike Lee following suit.

And in a show of support, documentary filmmaker Michael Moore will join them.

Of course, it’s not just celebrities who have taken note of this lack of diversity…. With the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite trending on Twitter shortly after the nominations were announced.

What will the academy do about this? They’ve promised to include a higher number of minority voices for Academy membership – aiming to double the number of female and minority members by 2020.

Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs has even made a statement explaining how ‘disappointed’ she was with the nominations.

Will it make a difference? For now, we’ll have to wait and see… but this year’s nominations have already sparked serious conversations about the future of diversity in Hollywood.

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Picture Credit: WENN