The Oscars’ diversity row is the hot topic that refused to go away – and quite rightly so. Whether they like it or not, right now, film industry insiders are currently being held up as spokespeople on the subject, and their views are being listened to very carefully indeed. So they should probably exercise caution when sharing their thoughts and feelings, in case they end up being “misinterpreted”.
One person who didn’t exercise caution, but is now claiming her comments were “misinterpreted”, is Broadchurch’s Charlotte Rampling, who has received an Oscar nomination for her performance in 45 years. Yesterday (January 22), in an interview with French radio network Europe 1, the veteran British actress caused controversy by claiming that racism lies at the calls for boycott in response to the Oscars’ lack of diversity.
“What’s so controversial about that?”, I hear you cry. Because Rampling thinks this form of racism is specifically ‘anti-white’. It gets worse, as she went on to state “perhaps the black actors did not deserve to make the final list”. And when it was suggested to her that non-white members of the film industry feel marginalised by recent developments in the run up to the Oscars, Rampling simply replied: “No comment”.
Although, of course, Rampling is entitled to her own opinion, I think she should have the courage of her convictions and stand by her original comments, instead of now claiming that they “could have been misinterpreted”. Perhaps she wanted to drum up some publicity for her possible Oscar win? If so, she’s succeeded, but for all the wrong reasons.
#Peace.Love.CharlotteRampling
