It’s been a little less than a month since the Academy announced the nominees for this year’s Oscars, and the lack of diversity in the acting categories has sparked a firestorm of criticism, proposed boycotts, and promises of change from the Academy. This is the second year in a row that the acting nominees are all white, and the last time any actor of color was nominated was in 2014, the year Lupita Nyong’o won for her role in 12 Years a Slave.
Sitting down with Savannah Guthrie on the Today show on Wednesday, Nyong’o weighed in on the current diversity debate.
“It’s a symptom of something else,” Nyong’o told Guthrie about the Oscars’ lack of diversity. “I think what we are asking for is really for more stories to be told, for inclusion in the stories that are told. It’s good for all of us when we hear a diverse number of stories and are able to experience more diversity. It’s more reflective of the world we live in. I think that’s what we ultimately want, is for a diversity of stories to be told.”
Nyong’o, who is making her Broadway debut in Eclipsed, added that she feels lucky to be able to champion more diverse stories, like her upcoming show, which is set during the Liberian Civil War and has an all-female cast.
“I feel really grateful to be in the position that I find myself where I can use the little weight I have to get stories that I feel are untold or yet to be told made and done,” Nyong’o said. “So for example, with Eclipsed, this is something that I brought to the table because it had moved me in a way that I wanted to perform it and share it with people. So I feel that’s the role I can play.”
Watch the full interview above.