As reported by The Wrap, Sylvester Stallone briefly considered boycotting the Academy Awards over the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Stallone is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Creed, which was directed by an African-American guy and stars an African-American guy—neither of whom were nominated. Apparently, when the controversy first start bubbling up, Stallone talked to Creed director Ryan Coogler and asked how he should “handle” it. Stallone says that Coogler was “responsible” for him even being nominated, so if Coogler had told him not to go to the ceremony, he would’ve skipped it in support of his director. Instead, Coogler told Stallone that he wanted him to go, and that he should be there to “stand up for the film.”
As for the #OscarsSoWhite controversy itself, Stallone approves of the Academy’s plan to introduce more diversity to its membership, adding that, “there’s a universal law of existence—you either adapt or cease to exist.”