Hollywood appeared to breathe a collective sigh of relief on Tuesday as a record number of black actors were nominated for Oscars, averting a repeat of last year’s diversity controversy.
Voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave nods to six black actors, including two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington in the best actor category for his performance in “Fences,” an adaptation of a play about a working-class African American family in 1950s Pittsburgh.
Ruth Negga, who is Irish-Ethiopian, was nominated in the best actress category for “Loving,” the real-life story of an interracial couple in mid-20th century America, when some states banned such unions.
Two-time nominee Viola Davis is also in the running for best supporting actress for her performance in “Fences,” as is Oscar winner Octavia Spencer for “Hidden Figures,” the real-life tale of NASA’s black female mathematicians.
Given this year’s nominations, the #OscarsSoWhite controversy is not likely to dog the 89th Academy Awards being held on February 26 in Los Angeles.
