J.J. Abrams reveals he’s planning on increasing diversity in Hollywood.
J.J. Abrams is one of the most popular directors in Hollywood. His latest movie, The Force Awakens is the highest grossing movie in history. In addition, his company, Bad Robot Productions, is one of the most influential production companies in Hollywood. That’s why this latest piece of news is so important.
According to reports, J.J. Abrams plans on shaking Hollywood to it’s core. The producer/actor/director and Hollywood A-lister announced that they will be changing their casting and hiring process by interviewing more non-white and female writers, directors, and actors for their TV shows and movies to increase diversity.
The company has teamed with its agency, CAA, and studio partners (Warner Bros. and Paramount) to require that women and minorities are submitted for writing, directing and acting jobs for the company in proportion to their representation in the U.S. population.
“We’ve been working to improve our internal hiring practices for a while, but the Oscars controversy was a wake-up call to examine our role in expanding opportunities internally at Bad Robot and externally with our content and partners,” says Abrams, who produced the Cloverfield, Star Wars and Star Trek movie franchises along with the hit TV series Person of Interest and Hulu’s miniseries 11.22.63.
J.J. Abrams is not alone. American Horror Story’s creator, Ryan Murphy also announced his plans on increasing diversity in Hollywood. J.J. Abrams added: “We’re working to find a rich pool of representative, kick-ass talent and give them the opportunity they deserve and we can all benefit from,” he says. “It’s good for audiences and it’s good for the bottom line.”
