The Artist star James Cromwell has a plan to make voting for the Oscars a more democratic affair after learning that the majority of those picking the winners are elderly white men - let the nominees decide.
The actor insists the statistics weigh heavy against black stars and women-friendly films like The Help and he believes Academy Awards officials should let the nominees select the winners of the major categories.
Cromwell, who was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in 1995 for his role as a farmer in Babe, tells The Hollywood Reporter, "Eighty five per cent of the people who vote in the Academy are old white men, so you say, 'Wait a minute... people of colour, women...' I don't think it's incredibly democratic.
"I have a solution... the five nominees get together to vote for what they think is the best picture; they can't vote for themselves. And they keep going until hopefully they get unanimity.
"All five of them go up (onstage at the Oscars) and one of them steps forward and says... 'We the nominees think that the best film of the year should be...'"