Will Smith Praises Academy for #OscarsSoWhite Response
(ET ONLINE) – Will Smith continues to clarify his stance on the Oscars. The 47-year-old actor's highly publicized decision to not attend the Academy Awards after only white actors were nominated for a second year in a row has been a hot topic as he continues his press tour for Concussion.
On Friday, Smith told BBC News that he was "very pleased with how quickly and aggressively the Academy responded" to the Oscars outrage, which included the group's"historic" changes to increase diversity by 2020.
"But I want to be very clear about the spirit of what I'm saying. This is far beyond me," he said. "This has nothing to do with me, this has nothing to do with 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."
The Suicide Squad star also acknowledged that he is a member of the Academy, and the current debate is not about "us and them" but rather "we."
"It's much more a domestic family issue than it is a civil rights issue," he explained. "So it's a problem that we all have to solve."
While it doesn't appear as if Smith's quick comment at the end of the BBC video was meant to call out the fact that he was backing his wife more than anything else, it certainly could be interpreted that way.
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