#OscarsSoWhite is having a major impact on Hollywood and The Academy is “heartbroken”

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that gives out the Oscars, is in a middle of a PR crisis and on Monday the group admitted that they are “heartbroken” over the lack of diversity among this year’s acting nominees, and pledged to make “big changes.”

“I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion. This is a difficult but important conversation, and it’s time for big changes,” said Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of AMPAS.

This news came on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, as the world recognized the man who fought and died for civil rights in America.

Hollywood has come under fire for the second year in a row for failing to nominate a single non-white actor of in any of the Academy Award acting categories. In fact, on Monday Spike Lee announced that he would not attend the Oscars, while Jada Pinkett Smith is leading the charge agains the Oscars.

This put Boone Isaacs, who is African-American in the hot seat. However, she pledged in her statement that the group is addressing the issue.

“The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership,” she said. “In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond.”

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which votes on the Oscars is 94% Caucasian and 70% male, according to a 2012 study by the Los Angeles Times.

You can read the full statement by Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs:

I’d like to acknowledge the wonderful work of this year’s nominees.  While we celebrate their extraordinary achievements, I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion. This is a difficult but important conversation, and it’s time for big changes. The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership.  In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond.

As many of you know, we have implemented changes to diversify our membership in the last four years. But the change is not coming as fast as we would like.  We need to do more, and better and more quickly.

This isn’t unprecedented for the Academy. In the ’60s and ’70s it was about recruiting younger members to stay vital and relevant. In 2016, the mandate is inclusion in all of its facets: gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. We recognize the very real concerns of our community, and I so appreciate all of you who have reached out to me in our effort to move forward together.

What do you think? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below!

A background extra shares an inside look at working with Bryan Cranston on the Academy Award nominated movie Trumbo.

Bryan Cranston was recently nominated for an Academy Award but, despite competing against the frontrunner, Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant) Cranston stands a good chance at winning his first Academy Award for his performance in the movie Trumbo. 

Bryan Cranston’s Academy Award nominated movie centers around the successful career of Hollywood screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo, comes to an end when he is blacklisted in the 1940s for being a Communist.

A few weeks ago, we had a unique opportunity to talk with an actor, Duane Moseley, who worked closely as a background actor with Bryan Cranston on set of Trumbo and he gave an inside look at Bryan Cranston’s acting performance. He describes Cranston as being a “very personable on set, he introduced himself and referred to me by my name. When we were back waiting for the scene to start he was very loose and talkative.”

In addition, Moseley revealed that Bryan Cranston’s acting process is not as intense as you would expect. “He didn’t seem to be intense at all. It seemed to all just flow naturally. He would seamlessly go from being Bryan between takes to Trumbo during a scene. Some actors you see between takes seem to be constantly concentrating. He didn’t seem to do that.”

The most interesting detail comes when Bryan Cranston had an intense final scene in the movie and right before the scene takes place, Moseley helps Cranston in the most epic way possible. Moseley explains:

The first time we prepared to shoot the scene he asked the PA next to us if she had a mint because he had just eaten some cheesy fries and has to kiss Diane Lane at the end of the scene. The PA didn’t have anything and since I had just went by crafty I had a mint and I gave it to him. He said “Thanks Duane, you’re a life saver.”

While that may not have been the exact reason why Bryan Cranston was nominated for an Oscar, it definitely helped Cranston add the icing to the cake of an amazing acting performance.

You can read the full interview with Duane Mosely below!