Will Smith isn’t planning on attending the 88th Academy Awards, but said this week that he is “very pleased” with the changes the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences put in place last week to combat the lack of diversity among the nominees.
Smith, who starred in Concussion in 2015 and was not nominated for it, said last week that he would not attend the Oscars, as his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith already said that she wouldn’t. Smith told Good Morning America that the Oscars failed to reflect America’s diversity.
Just a day later, the Academy announced changes to how its members get voting status and pledged to double the number of diverse members by 2020.
In an interview with BBC Breakfast, Smith said that he was happy with the changes and praised the Academy for making the quick decision. He also stressed that this is not about him not getting nominated for his new movie.
“I was very pleased at how quickly and aggressively the Academy responded,” Smith said. “But I want to be very clear about the spirit of what I’m saying. This is far beyond me. This has nothing to do with me. This has nothing to do with awards, you know? Awards... that’s a really frivolous reason for me to put my hand up and make a statement. For me, this is much more about the idea of diversity and inclusion.”
Smith also called the issue more of a “domestic family issue” than a “civil rights issue” because he is a member of the Academy as a two-time Oscar nominee. He said it’s a problem that we all have to solve.