Chris Rock Talks About 2016 Oscars, Diversity in Hollywood and Black Actresses'

Chris Rock, age 50, 'comedian and actor' is on the cover of Essence magazine for the very first time as he gets featured in their annual Hollywood Marcy Issue.

Chris Rock was among the first celebs to comment publicly on the lack of diversity among this year's acting nominees. One of the most vocal critics is Jada Pinkett Smith, who posted an online video vowing to boycott the Oscars. Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o told E! News that "what we are calling for, asking for, is for there to be inclusion in the kinds of stories that are being told in the first place."

In a candid and revealing profile—written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson and conducted in December 2015 before #OscarsSoWhite reached fever pitch— Chris Rock contemplates diversity in Hollywood, his second go at hosting the Oscars, and roles for Black women in Hollywood.

See excerpts below.

 Chris Rock said:

"Black women have the hardest gig in show business,"  "You hear Jennifer Lawrence complaining about getting paid less because she's a woman—if she was black, she'd really have something to complain about. Black women get paid less than everybody in Hollywood, Everybody's talking about Jennifer Lawrence."

On the challenges facing Black actresses in Hollywood: “I’ve never done a movie, any movie, the silliest movie, where someone, some studio person hasn’t gone, ‘Does the girl have to be Black?’ It happens every time. Black women get paid less than everybody in Hollywood. Everybody’s talking about Jennifer Lawrence. Talk to Gabrielle Union. If you want to hear stories, talk to Nia Long. Talk to Kerry Washington. They would love to get to Jennifer Lawrence’s place, or just be treated with the same amount of respect.

On black women getting fewer roles in Hollywood: I think everything I’ve ever done has had a significant role for a Black or brown woman. I refuse not to. I’ve never gone into battle without a Black woman, you know, a movie battle. With Tichina Arnold in Everybody Hates Chris, I had to fight for Tichina. I’m not even going to tell you who the network wanted. She’s literally as good as Tina Fey or Julia Louis-Dreyfus or any of these chicks. They’re like, ‘Tichina who’?