Will Smith says the lack of diversity among the 2015 Oscar nominees "was to be expected."
The ‘Focus’ star admits he wasn’t surprised or upset by the fact that all 20 of this year’s acting contenders are white and no women were nominated in the directing or writing categories.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz at a special screening of his new film, ‘Focus,’ at the Vue Leicester Square in London tonight (11.02.15), the 46-year-old star said: "I can’t say I felt negatively about it. I can’t say it was obvious to me… you know that as 90-plus percent of the Academy is not diverse, so I think it was to be expected."
But Will believes people ultimately have the right to vote for whichever movies they enjoyed.
Asked whether he thought ‘Selma’ – the acclaimed film about civil rights campaigner Dr. Martin Luther King – was snubbed by the prestigious awards ceremony because it only received two nominations ahead of the event in Los Angeles on February 22, he said: "You know, my brain doesn’t even work like that. I don’t think of it in terms of snubbed and things like that. People vote for the movies that they want to vote for and they have that right."
Will’s co-star Margot Robbie was among the other guests at tonight’s red carpet event.
Will Smith isn’t upset about lack of diversity at the Oscars
