On Friday, legendary British actress Charlotte Rampling gave her thoughts on the Oscar diversity controversy.
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Rampling is nominated for a best actress Academy Award for Andrew Haigh’s portrait of a marriage, 45 Years.
The actress simplified her opinion, explaining that she “meant to say that in an ideal world every performance will be given equal opportunities for consideration”.
“Maybe this time, no black actor or actress deserved to make it to the final selection”, she said in an interview on French radio station Europe 1. “Why classify people? These days everyone is more or less accepted”.
“People will always say, “Him, he’s less handsome”; “Him, he’s too black”; “He is too white”.
“So basically are we saying we are going to put everyone and everything into one class or another to create lots of minority groups everywhere?”
“Diversity in our industry is an important issue that needs to be addressed”.
African-American actor and director Don Cheadle has said the Academy’s planned membership changes to improve diversity are a “step in the right direction”.
‘I regret that my comments could have been misinterpreted this week in my interview with Europe 1 Radio. Mark Ruffalo, a best actor nominee for his role in “Spotlight”, and Brie Larson, up for best actress for “Room”, have both voiced their support for the calls for change. “It is racist to whites”, Rampling told during the interview.
Her original comments seem to mimic that of veteran actor Michael Caine, who also said performances should be judged on their merit and not by the colour of an actor’s skin.
“Be patient”, was Caine’s message to non-white actors, “Of course it will come”.
In a statement, President Cheryl Boone said the Academy would “commit to doubling the number of women and diverse members of the Academy by 2020”, as well as placing a 10-year limit on voting for new members, which will be rescinded if the member is no longer “active in motion pictures”. “It took me years to get an Oscar, years”.
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These included Will Smith, who declared he would be joining his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, and others, in not attending the 28 February event.
