Yahoo Movies Oscars invites JK Rowling and 900 more to join Academy
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also known as the people behind the Oscars, have sent out a record-breaking 928 invitations to join their organisation.
The invite list includes a host of famous faces, such as Get Out's Daniel Kaluuya, Star Wars' Daisy Ridley, Game of Thrones' Lena Headey, Pedro Pascal and Emilia Clarke, Harry Potter author JK Rowling and Brotherhood's Noel Clarke, to name just a few.
Last year saw 774 new members join The Academy, while 683 were invited in 2016. The increase in numbers comes as part of a response to the #OscarsSoWhite campaign, which called out the lack of diversity in the organisation.
Thank you.
https://t.co/ZUirnjQY3i- Noel Clarke (@NoelClarke) June 25, 2018
Related: Why are the Oscars called the Oscars? The origins of the Academy Awards' nickname
Variety states that if all the invitations are accepted, 38% of the new members will be people of colour, doubling the overall percentage of POC members since 2015.
49% of the invitations this year have gone to women and if they are all accepted, the total number of women in the Academy will rise from last year's 28% to 31%.
One of the invited stars, 14-year old Quvenzhané Wallis, might actually be the youngest Academy member ever, following on from being the youngest ever Oscar nominee for her role in Beasts of the Southern Wild.
Related: Who votes for the Oscars? The ins and outs of Academy voting explained
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