Ellen Page on Oscars diversity row: ‘How can you not be angry?’

Actress Ellen Page supports bosses at the the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for implementing new voting guidelines in the aftermath of the Oscars diversity row, because the issue is important to her as an actress.
Several stars have lashed out at Academy voters for failing to recognise black actors and films for the second year in a row, with Tyrese Gibson, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith refusing to even watch next month’s (Feb16) ceremony.
In the wake of the racial debate, bosses at the organisation have implemented new rules in the voting process to provide a solution to the diversity problem, and Page feels they are moving in the right direction.
“(It) means a lot to me as an audience member and as a human being,” she tells People.com. “It means a lot to me as someone who does this job. I think the issue is much more systemic and I hope that’s what changes, hearing more diverse stories, but I feel like finally there’s some steps going in the right direction.”
The Juno star also feels there should be representation in all areas of Hollywood, adding, “There needs to be more diversity behind the camera, and more people getting hired in every aspect of the business, and more support for those stories and more opportunity.
“You look at something like (TV series) Orange Is the New Black, and how many actresses we were introduced to, who we may not otherwise have seen because they had no opportunity.”
“That makes me feel like, ‘How could you not feel angry at that’, you know?” she adds. “And I hope that is what is going to continue to happen, and, just as an audience member, I want to go (and) see more stories from different perspectives. We do this job, sure to entertain, but also to reflect aspects of what it means to be a human.”
Page took on the role of producer in her new film Tallulah, in which she also stars, and she is hoping to one day step behind the camera to direct.
“I am really liking producing to be honest,” she says. “And when I say that – learning to do it and that’s something I’m continuing to do – there are things in the pipeline… I do think about someday directing, but not next week.”
“I feel like I’m enjoying learning so much because obviously when you’re a producer you’re so much involved in post (production), you’re so much involved in different components, and I feel grateful to be learning so much about that right now.”