British actor Idris Elba did not hesitate to speak his mind about the Oscars and Tyler Perry films. In a recent Q&A discussion/lecture at Rutgers University, the 38 year-old actor shared his thoughts on the Oscars in relation to African-Americans, as well as his honest opinion of Tyler Perry films (even though he has worked with the Madea screenwriter):

His thoughts on Tyler Perry’s films:
“Can I be candid? I don’t like all of Tyler Perry’s films. Yes, I did work with Tyler for ‘Daddy’s Little Girls’ because it portrayed a positive image of a black father. I am happy for Tyler’s success…we need Tyler Perry … by going to support his movies, we need to show economic strength. But we are also responsible for elevating film. I’m not with buffoonish characters like Madea or Big Momma.”

On the Golden Globes and this year’s Oscar:
“Halle Berry and I were the only two black actors nominated for this year’s Golden Globes (Idris for Luther and Halle for Frankie & Alice). The Oscars aren’t designed for us…let’s focus on making more films.” [Source]

In a recent interview with The Grio to promote his upcoming film,The Adjustment Bureau (in theaters March 4), Anthony Mackie said blacks in Hollywood are “being kinda lazy on our game”: “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to tell the stories that we want to tell and portray ourselves the way we want to be portrayed.”