NEW YORK, N.Y., March 3, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Dustin Hoffman feels there’s a systemic racial problem in America that goes well beyond the Oscars.
The two-time Oscar winner did not attend Sunday night’s ceremony, nor did he watch the broadcast, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Instead, Hoffman was spotted in the same place as this year’s recipient of an Honorary Academy Award who also boycotted the show.
“I went to see the Knicks game and saw my friend Spike Lee there all dressed up for the Oscars, but he was at the Knicks game,” Hoffman told the Associated Press Wednesday night.
This was the second year in a row where the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has come under fire for lack of diversity.
“Well, it’s always been that way. It’s not anything new, like Chris Rock, reportedly said, ‘Why this year?'” responded Hoffman.
Hoffman was referring to Chris Rock’s opening monologue where he said, “It’s the 88th Academy Awards, which means this whole black, no nominees thing has happened at least 71 other times.”
Hoffman added, “It’s always been racism. It’s kind of a reflection of what the country is.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hoffman made the remarks while attending the opening of the Metrograph, the first independently owned movie theater to open in Manhattan in more than a decade.
“They call my era the Golden Age of film, but I think the Golden Age of film still exists, but it’s done by the indies. And I think that is what this theater is for,” Hoffman said.
As for his thoughts on what can bring more diversity to Hollywood, he said, “We change when the people that are oppressed force it to change.”
