Boycott call over black actor 'snub'

Jada Pinkett Smith, wife of Smith and star of <i>The Matrix</i> series, said she would not be attending or watching at home. Photo / AP

Black actors and directors should consider boycotting the Oscars, two of Hollywood's most influential voices have said, in response to the failure to nominate ethnic minorities for this year's awards.

For the second consecutive year no black actors were nominated for the main acting prizes, with the British actor Idris Elba overlooked for Beasts of No Nation and Will Smith passed over for his role in Concussion.

Jada Pinkett Smith, wife of Smith and star of The Matrix series, said she would not be attending or watching at home, and urged others to follow her boycott, while Spike Lee, the director, said he too would not be attending the February 29 ceremony.

In a social media post, Lee said he was fed up: "Forty white actors in two years and no flava at all." The show is hosted by the black comedian Chris Rock, and The Weeknd, a black singer, is performing.

The hashtag "Oscars So White" was trending on Twitter after Michael B. Jordan was not nominated for Creed, the much-lauded Sylvester Stallone film in the Rocky series, and the many young, first-time actors in Straight Outta Compton were also snubbed.

"We can't really stress on it. But all we can do is go back and sharpen our tools and produce them something they can't deny," said O'Shay Jackson Jnr at the Critics' Choice Awards. The son of rapper Ice Cube, who he plays in Straight Outta Compton, was tipped for recognition at the ceremony.

Cherryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy, who is black and campaigns for diversity in the industry, said she was disappointed.

Several Oscar categories did feature ethnic minority nominees, including documentaries, shorts, feature-animation, costume design, hair and make-up and editing.