LOS ANGELES (AP) – Chris Rock had to audition for his role as this season’s Oscar host.
“His audition was actually at the 77th Academy Awards, where he was, to my mind, absolutely brilliant,” says David Hill, who is co-producing the Oscar telecast with Reginald Hudlin. “He was the first name we had on our list, and we went after him. He very graciously agreed to do it, so we’re thrilled.”
Hill and Hudlin announced Wednesday that Rock will helm the 88th Oscar ceremony on Feb. 28 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The 50-year-old Rock posted a photo of himself with an Oscar statuette on Twitter with the caption, “Look who’s back.”
More than 42 million viewers tuned in when Rock hosted the show in 2005, compared to 37 million for this year’s telecast
Rock is the only non-white Oscar host since that appearance 11 years ago. The film academy has visibly increased its diversity outreach efforts since it was derided earlier this year for its all-white slate of acting nominees.