Oscar Awards nominee Charlotte Rampling calls awards boycott racist toward whites

The French actress, who is nominated for Best Actress at this year’s awards, was highly criticised online for her remarks, however she feels they were “misinterpreted'”.

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”.

“Diversity in our industry is an important issue that needs to be addressed”, Rampling told CBS.

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”.

She said later that day her comments were misinterpreted. When asked if the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences should introduce quotas, she responded: “Why classify people?”

Asked about a campaign to boycott the event, after all 20 of the leading actor categories were filled by whites for the second year running, she suggested black actors who missed out “perhaps did not merit being on the finishing line”.

“The nominations reflect the Academy, the Academy reflects the industry, and the industry reflects America”, said Smith, a two-time Academy Award nominee for “Ali” and “The Pursuit of Happyness”.

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diverse members of the Academy by 2020”, as well as placing a 10-year limit on voting for new members, which will be rescinded if the member is no longer “active in motion pictures”.

Speaking in French, Rampling, 69, had previously told France’s Europe 1 radio Friday that while it’s impossible to know for sure, “maybe the black actors didn’t deserve to be in the final stretch”. “These days everyone is more or less accepted”, she said. “There is always someone who says ‘You are too…’ So are we going to say, ‘We will categorise all that to make lots of minorities everywhere?'”

“Someone will always be saying, ‘You are too [this or that]’…”

February 14, 2015. Charlotte Rampling holds the Silver Bear for Best Actress for her role in 45 years after the award ceremony at the 2015 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Germany.

Matt Mueller, editor of film industry publication Screen International, said Rampling’s comments may hurt her chances at winning the coveted award. I saw Idris Elba (in Beasts Of No Nation). Come check me out at #TheOscars this year.