Emma Watson, Michael B. Jordan, and Idris Elba Among Diverse Group Invited to Join Movie Academy

In the wake of the #OscarsSoWhite uproar at the beginning of the year, which shed light on the prestigious movie Academy’s overwhelmingly white and male member body, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is taking big steps to ensure more inclusivity in Hollywood and reflect more of the industry’s varied backgrounds at one of the biggest entertainment awards of the year.

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The Academy announced that it has invited 683 actors and actresses to join the group–a huge number considering last year’s invite list clocked in at only 322 members. This year’s selection is also significantly more diverse than previous years, showing a focused effort by the Academy to bridge some of the gaps in race and gender.

A-list performers Eva Mendes, Idris Elba, Emma Watson, Brie Larson, Michael B. Jordan, O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson, and John Boyega are a few of the big names that stand out from the new class.

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After intense criticism from Hollywood and the public due to the fact that no actors of color had been nominated for the second year in a row, Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs pledged to lead the industry in aggressively adding more diverse voices to the group.