Cynthia Erivo Has Something to Say to Stephen King After His Controversial Diversity Comments

As we previously reported, author Stephen King addressed the lack of diversity in the 2020 Oscar nominations, stating that he “would never consider diversity in matters of art.” 

Clearly, that didn’t sit well with a lot of actors of color — mainly Cynthia Erivo, who is nominated for her role in Harriet.

“I can’t solve how you balance diversity with quality of work,” she told Entertainment Weekly in response to Stephen’s comments. “I’d like to think I’m part of the world of diversity. Hopefully, more works get seen by people who are making good work. I feel like this year we had a flurry of beautiful pieces by people who are of diverse nature, black women, women in general, and I think you’re seeing more of it on TV, HBO in general.”

Cynthia is the only person of color nominated for an Oscar in the acting categories.

“We just have to open the doors and open our eyes to those people who are making the work,” she explained. “I am one of the players. So if there is room for me to play then that’s what I’m going to do. If I can create more room for others, then that’s also what I’m going to do.”

She continued: “But if it’s also up to those people who are used to doing things a certain way to shake up their ideas, change the way they think, change the way they cast, change the way they line up their producers and directors and writers and make sure that the room reflects the world we live in, that’s how I think we lean in to diversity a little more.”

We love you, Cynthia.