Cynthia Erivo said she declined an invitation to perform at the 2020 British Academy Film Awards due to the glaring lack of diversity among the nominees in the acting categories.
The Harriet actor, who portrayed the heroic abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the 2019 film, told The Associated Press on Friday that it didnt feel right to sing at an event that only represented talent from white actors.
I have a responsibility to represent women of color and people of color in film and TV, she said. To perform ... to celebrate something like that, that way, didnt feel right.
Elsewhere in the interview, Erivo said that the nominee list wasnt representative of what we saw this year in film at all.
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The academy came under fire earlier this week when it unveiled its list of 2020 nominees , which featured only white actors in four categories: Leading Actor, Leading Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress.
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