By Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter
It has been a week of uncomfortable conversations in Hollywood. While many agree that the Academy’s overwhelmingly white membership does play a role in the types of films and performances that get Oscar attention, some white members privately express resentment over accusations of racism in failing to nominate a single nonwhite actor or anoint Straight Outta Compton a best picture candidate.
Penelope Ann Miller, best known for Carlito’s Way and The Artist, is a member of the actors branch that could have nominated Creed‘s Michael B. Jordan, Concussion‘s Will Smith, The Hateful Eight‘s Samuel L. Jackson or Beasts of No Nation‘s Idris Elba. “I voted for a number of black performers, and I was sorry they weren’t nominated,” she tells THR. “But to imply that this is because all of us are racists is extremely offensive. I don’t want to be lumped into a category of being a racist because I’m certainly not and because I support and benefit from the talent of black people in this business. It was just an incredibly competitive year.”
