Rampling: 'Racist to Whites' Comment 'Misinterpreted'

'Diversity in our industry is an important issue'
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 23, 2016 10:50 AM CST
Rampling: 'Racist to Whites' Comment 'Misinterpreted'
Actress Charlotte Rampling claims her comments about the recent Oscar controversy being "racist to whites" were "misinterpreted."   (AP Photo/Sohn, Michael)

It turns out when British actress Charlotte Rampling said this year's Oscar controversy was "racist to whites," what she apparently really meant was: "Diversity in our industry is an important issue that needs to be addressed." CBS News reports the actress, who is nominated for her role in 45 Years, attempted to explain herself in a statement issued after an earlier interview touching on #OscarsSoWhite made headlines. "I regret that my comments could have been misinterpreted this week," the statement reads. "I simply meant to say that in an ideal world every performance will be given equal opportunities for consideration."

The Academy Awards are taking some heat this month after no black actors were nominated for the second year in a row. In her earlier interview, Rampling wouldn't comment on whether she thought black people working in film felt like a minority, the Guardian reports. "These days everyone is more or less accepted," Jezebel quotes Rampling. "Do we have to take from this that there should be lots of minorities everywhere?” And Stassa Edwards at Jezebel isn't sure how Rampling's comments, which "seem pretty clear," could be "misinterpreted." "Just a quick question: How do you misinterpret the phrase 'racist to whites?'" she writes. (More Oscars stories.)

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