Diversity in Hollywood: Why there’s still more to be done

Twenty years ago, the movie industry was ruled by white males – both on and off screen. Now, different stories are being told, as Tom Brook reports in this video for Talking Movies.

“The fact that I could look up and see myself as a superhero, or somebody who looks like me as a superhero: I think it does a remarkable thing for society as a whole,” says actor Stephan James.

From pay disparity between actors to telling the stories of non-white and LGBT people, the past 20 years has seen leaps and bounds in the diversity of the film industry.

With campaigns like #OscarsSoWhite and Time’s Up, these issues have recently been brought to the forefront of public awareness.

But there’s still more work to do, warn industry insiders. “I think we haven’t represented the Latin community… the gay community has not been represented whatsoever,” says Victoria Alonso, executive vice president of production at Marvel Studios. Marvel made the 2018 hit film Black Panther, which had a majority black cast. “We are painfully aware of what we have not yet represented.”

Watch the video above to find out more.

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