Spike Lee has waded in on the buzz surrounding the Academy's announcement that it is set to make changes in its membership as part of an effort to promote more diversity. "We have principles. I commend the Academy for what they've done," the director said in an interview with the Associated Press at the Sundance Film Festival over the weekend.
However, he adds that he is sticking to his plan on spending Oscars night at Madison Square Garden watching a Knicks game.
Lee went on to praise Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaac. "People have to understand it's not going to happen overnight, but I think the changes that Cheryl implemented with the board of governors, it's going to have an impact," he said, according to E! Online.
On Friday, the Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it will be conducting a dramatic overhaul in its organization and voting guidelines, HNGN previously reported.
The move comes after several prominent directors, actors and actresses criticized the Academy for nominating only white actors and actresses in its categories for Best Actor and Best Actress for the second year in a row, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Lee announced that he would be boycotting this year's ceremony, along with Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, and potentially Mark Ruffalo. Actors David Oyelowo and Idris Elba also spoke out on the matter, while Tyrese Gibson had urged Chris Rock to step down from hosting the ceremony.
Rock, however, will still push through in fulfilling his hosting duties and has even rewritten his opening monologue in order to be able to address the controversy.
