Ram Charan, Jr. NTR among artists invited to join Hollywood’s film academy

A poster of Telugu film ‘RRR’ featuring actors Jr. NTR and Ram Charan.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Pop singer and songwriter Taylor Swift, Elvis star Austin Butler and best-supporting actor winner Ke Huy Quan were among the 398 people selected to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that awards the Oscars.

RRR actors Ram Charan and N. T. Rama Rao Jr. have received invitations to join the academy. The film’s production designer, Sabu Cyril, and cinematographer, K.K. Senthil Kumar, have also been invited along with composer and songwriter M.M. Keeravani and Chandrabose.

Swift, 33, was invited to join the academy’s music branch after writing songs for the soundtracks of the 2022 movie Where the Crawdads Sing and the 2019 film adaptation of the musical Cats.

Quan, 51, won the supporting actor trophy this year for his role in best picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once. His Oscar-nominated co-star Stephanie Hsu, 32, also was selected to join the academy, along with the movie’s directors, 35-year-old Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, 36 – known as “the Daniels.”

Butler, 31, was nominated for an Oscar this year for his portrayal of Elvis Presley.

The academy, which has more than 10,000 members in total, has taken steps to diversify its membership since the #OscarsSoWhite outcry in 2015. The group said 40% of the new members identified as women, 34% belonged to underrepresented ethnic or racial communities, and 52% were from 50 countries and territories outside the United States.

In 2022, a total of 397 individuals were invited to join the Oscars as new members. Among the invitees were renowned singer Billie Eilish, Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose, and the talented stars Caitríona Balfe and Jamie Dornan from the film “Belfast.” Additionally, Dana Walden, an esteemed executive from Disney, also received an invitation.

(With inputs from Reuters)