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Charlotte Rampling Said Oscars Boycott Is ‘Racist To Whites,’ Now Backtracks On Remarks

By Phyllis Asinyanbi
Published on: 15:31 PST, Jan 23, 2016

Charlotte Rampling commented that the Oscars boycott is “racist to whites.” She has now backtracked on these remarks. Rampling is a first-time nominee in the Best Actress category for 45 Years. She is a multilingual British actress who has made films in English, Italian, and French.

In a Friday interview on French radio station Europe 1, Rampling weighed in on the #OscarsSoWhite issue that Jada Pinkett Smith, wife of actor Will Smith, addressed when she questioned whether it would be appropriate for “people of color” to boycott the Oscars in light of a second year of all-white Oscar nominees. Will was out of the country when Jada posted a video proposing a boycott, but has said he will support his wife by not attending. Directors Spike Lee and Michael Moore have also decided to forego the event this year.

Charlotte went on to say that the black actors may or may not have been deserving of a nomination saying, “We can never know if it was really the case, but perhaps the black actors did not deserve to be in the final straight,” noted USA Today. She added that classifying people is, in itself, wrong.

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’… someone will always be saying ‘You are too…’, but do we have to take from this that there should be lots of minorities everywhere?

The above comments could be viewed as Rampling being opposed to a quota of black actors or as a call to do away with racial categories all together. Not classifying people in a country that has done so for centuries might prove difficult. Whatever the intention, there was immediate backlash on social media, with comments on Rampling’s “white privilege,” lack of understanding and more.

The 69-year-old actresses said her remarks “could have been misinterpreted” on a CBS Sunday Morning interview with Anthony Mason that will air on January 24, per CBS News.

I regret that my comments could have been misinterpreted this week in my interview with Europe 1 Radio. I simply meant to say that in an ideal world every performance will be given equal opportunities for consideration. I am very honored to be included in this year’s wonderful group of nominated actors and actresses.

Some viewed comments from her as surprising, as she lives in France and isn’t engaged in the inside world of the American film industry. She is also an actress who waits for roles to come her way, rather than seeking them out, added CBS News.

It’s like a strange form of pride, maybe. I don’t know what it is. Maybe I’m just an old-fashioned girl and I like to be asked to dance, you know? I know I had something going for me. I thought somebody is going to ask me to dance always.

Rampling’s comments added to the controversy on the lack of diversity in Hollywood, and even among other actors, of all ethnicities, she is seemingly in the minority. George Clooney and Mark Ruffalo, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor this year, both believe that African-Americans have valid points. Clooney went so far as to say the industry appears to be moving backward rather than forward.

Since Charlotte initially commented, the Academy announced pending reforms to address membership diversification. The actress said she is encouraged by this.

[Photo via Siebbi/Wikimedia Commons]

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