In an effort to increase diversity, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited a record-breaking 683 new members to join its ranks, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
There was an outcry from those in and out of the industry this past year when not one nominee in any of the acting categories was a person of color. Among the new invitees, 46% are women and 41% are people of color.
The hope with the new invitations is to shift the Academy's demographic makeup, which is currently 75 percent male and 92 percent white. Among the invitees are several theatre favorites, including Betty Buckley, Loretta Devine, Carla Gugino, Cherry Jones, Patti LuPone, Anika Noni Rose, Mark Rylance, David Henry Hwang and others.
