Joaquin Phoenix called on his peers to help battle racism in the film industry during a rallying acceptance speech for his best actor award at the 2020 BAFTA awards.
The “Joker” star was the only industry figure to discuss the ongoing issue in the film business, claiming that the business sends “a very clear message to people of color that you’re not welcome here.”
“I feel conflicted because so many of my fellow actors that are deserving don’t have that same privilege. I think that we send a very clear message to people of color that you’re not welcome here,” he said onstage as he picked up his best actor award.
“I think that’s the message that we’re sending to people that have contributed so much to our medium and our industry, and in ways that we benefit from.”