Cynthia Erivo is "saddened" by the lack of diversity in this year’s Oscars nominations.
The 33-year-old star – who is up for Best Actress and Best Original Song for ‘Harriet’ and its theme ‘Stand Up’ – is the only actor of colour to be shortlisted for this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, and has said she wishes she could "share" the excitement of being nominated with "someone else".
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she said: "It is a moment for celebration, but it also is a real eye-opener. It can’t just be me alone. There’s just such good work going on and this may sound fatalistic, but I would hate for people’s work to have gone by and then for us to have looked back and go, ‘Oh, I wish we would’ve given roses’, when people aren’t there to actually receive them. I don’t want us to do that.
"To be in a room and not being able to see other actors [of colour] who are nominated, to not be able to share that with another black actress is saddening. I would love to share this moment with someone else."
Cynthia recently called for rule changes at the Academy Awards in order to promote diversity, after no other people of colour were nominated in any of the acting categories.
She said: "I think maybe a couple rules need to change. We need diversity across everything … If you can get to the centre of it, it can start filtering out.
"It should never just be me in an acting category … I don’t want the work of people who are brilliant to go on and be remembered after their gone."
The actress is nominated for her performance as abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the biopic and hopes the political activist – who died in 1913 aged 90 – would be pleased to be back in people’s consciousness again.
Asked about what Tubman might think of all the attention, she explained: "I hope she’s smiling wherever she is and knowing that people are learning about her again."
Cynthia Erivo ‘saddened’ by lack of Oscars diversity
