The Motion Picture Academy made amazing strides in its goal to diversify membership — but some of their invites this year are questionable. Read on for TheWrap’s tally of oddballs, and people you would think have been members for years.
Terry Crews
The Old Spice spokesman has had an impressive if not niche acting career. Still a bit of a head-scratcher, but the man brings a ton of joy and muscles wherever he pops up, so we’ll take it.
Lou Ferrigno
The kitschy ’70s start (“The Incredible Hulk” TV series) mostly takes B-movie action roles or plays heightened versions of himself (“I Love You, Man”). But we’ll welcome him with a smile because we know what happens when he gets angry.
Tom Felton
With all due respect to child stars who chug along into adulthood as actors, including “Harry Potter”‘s platinum blonde baby villain, this seems like a stretch — or perhaps a nod to the iconic books turning 20 this year.
Rupert Grint
Same thing goes here for Grint, the lovable Ron Weasely.
Betty White
How in GOD’s NAME was this show business legend not already an Academy member? But this is another example of “Its’ Never Too Late” in the 95-year-old’s career.
Debbie Allen
Allen is best known for playing Lydia in the iconic film “Fame,” but she’s long been a choreographer for the Oscars telecast. She’s essentially the Bruce Vilanch of dance at the Academy, so this is a long-overdue internal promotion.
Bonnie Hunt
Hunt was a national treasure during her late-aughts TV show and a rare female producer and star, though she’s mostly been putting in voice work on animated projects like “Cars” for the past decade.
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
These R&B icons, most famous for their shepherding of Janet Jackson’s most memorable albums, might seem curious additions to the film academy. The men have put in hundreds of songs on movie soundtracks over the years, however.
Jeanne Triplehorn
Don’t get us wrong, we’re obsessed with Triplehorn. “Sliding Doors”? Amazing. “Big Love”? She was the show. But the actress does fall somewhere on a spectrum of “Why isn’t she already a member” and “Really?”
Joss Whedon
It’s confounding to think Whedon was not previously invited to join the Academy’s ranks. Not only is he a commercially proven force, thanks to his “Avengers” gigs, but he can do high-brown (like his contemporary take on Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”) and cult stardom with his TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
