Date: 6th July 2016

Scarlett Johansson calls for more diversity in Hollywood.


Scarlett Johansson has praised this year's Academy intake of new members, feeling strongly that diversity in Hollywood is nothing but a good thing.

The comments come after the star's controversial casting in Ghost in the Shell, in which she will play an Asian character. The casting announcement led to many people accusing the movie's producers of whitewashing.

The Academy recently invited some 683 people from across the industry to join. 46% of those asked were female, and 41% were non-white.

"It's awesome to have a diverse group of people in an organisation like that," she said. "You need to have different points of view and different perspectives."

"Of course, it's also the studios who ultimately will make the movies, but I think when the audiences speak loudly and tell the studios what they want to watch, there's an ear there."

"The audiences will drive the direction of what is greenlit and put on the fast track. I truly believe that to be true, especially now in the time of social media. The voices cannot be ignored. So I tell people to keep asking, and to keep asking for diversity in Hollywood."

Source: Press Release