Among the film and television performers at the event were Oscar winners Helen Mirren and Jared Leto, Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston, Independence Day stars Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum, actress Rachel McAdams, and Night Manager miniseries star Tom Hiddleston
"I, for one, want to be a part of making an adjustment. I want to be a part of the solution. It has nothing to do with me being nominated or not, or wanting to win awards or not. That is so frivolous. I've been nominated for Academy Awards and I've never lost to a white person. I lost to Denzel (Washington) and then I lost to Forest Whitaker," said Will Smith
"So disappointed that some of 2015's best films, filmmakers and performances were not recognized. Nothing can diminish the quality of their work, but these filmmakers deserve recognition. As an Academy member, I would love to see a more diverse voting membership," Reese Witherspoon wrote on Facebook
"The Academy reflects the industry, reflects Hollywood, and the industry reflects America, reflects a series of challenges that we're having in our country at the moment," Will Smith said. "There's a regressive slide toward separatism, toward racial and religious disharmony, and that's not the Hollywood I want to leave behind"