In diversity push, Oscars Academy invites Awkwafina, Constance Wu, Ana de Armas and other non-white actresses to join

Asian-American stars of Crazy Rich Asians, upcoming Bond girl Ana de Armas, and Joker star Zazie Beetz among minority actresses to get Academy invitations

The Academy’s board of governors vowed four years ago to double the number of women and non-white members by 2020 after #OscarsSoWhite backlash on social media

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Backstage at the 2018 Oscars ceremony. The Academy that decides the Oscars has invited actresses, many of them young and from ethnic minorities, and including Awkwafina, Zendaya and Constance Wu, to join as it continues a push to diversify its membership. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:58am, 1 Jul 2020Updated: 10:58am, 1 Jul 2020

Young actresses Awkwafina, Zendaya and Constance Wu were among those invited to join Hollywood’s Academy on Tuesday, as the Oscars-awarding club opened its prestigious doors to a diverse crop of new members.

Slammed again at the Oscars this year for nominating just one non-white actor, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has boosted its efforts to increase female and ethnic minority membership in recent times.

The majority of actors invited to join this year were women, and more than half were from “under-represented ethnic/racial communities”, said an Academy statement.

Cynthia Erivo – the sole non-white acting nominee at February’s Oscars, for Harriet – was on Tuesday’s list of invitees, along with Eva Longoria, Joker star Zazie Beetz and upcoming Bond girl Ana de Armas.

Minority actresses and actors invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences include (from left): Awkwafina, Cynthia Erivo, Eva Longoria, John David Washington, and Zendaya. Photo: AP

“We have always embraced extraordinary talent that reflects the rich variety of our global film community, and never more so than now,” said Academy President David Rubin.