In today’s “White People Say the Darndest Things” news, two white actors have thrown their voices into the mix about the Oscars’ lack of diversity. And needless to say, not everyone can be like George Clooney. As a matter of fact, these two actors have shared opinions that are his polar opposite.
Exhibit A: Michael Caine
A weathered British actor, most notable for his role as Ebenezer Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol. Well, only most notable for me, because only a Scrooge would think to say that black people just need to be more patient, and maybe they’ll get an Oscar, too.
Patient? Huh? Tell that to Spike Lee, who recently received a “freebie” from the academy after it bypassed so many of his films.
“There’s loads of black actors,” Caine said. “In the end you can’t vote for an actor because he’s black. You can’t say, ‘I’m going to vote for him. He’s not very good, but he’s black; I’ll vote for him.’ ”
He continued: “You have to give a good performance, and I’m sure people have. I saw Idris Elba [in Beasts of No Nation]. I thought he was wonderful.”
Point me in the direction of the people who actually feel that way?
So, black actors and directors, just take Caine’s advice: “Of course it will come. It took me years to get an Oscar—years,” said the white dude.
Exhibit B: Charlotte Rampling
Rampling, also British, received a nomination for a best actress Oscar this year for her role in 45 Years. Forty-five is probably the number of people who actually watched the movie and the amount of money … in single dollars … that the film made at the box office. So what does this actress think about the lack of diversity? Oh, it’s a doozy.
“It’s racist to white people,” she said, according to a translation of her interview on French radio network Europe 1 on Friday.
“One can never really know, but perhaps the black actors did not deserve to make the final list,” she added.
Racist. To. White. People.
“Why classify people?” she continued. “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 [this or that]’ … but do we have to take from this that there should be lots of minorities everywhere?”
And people wonder why Elba escaped the United Kingdom to make television shows and movies in the United States.
He’d still be waiting around for a role. Or he’d be called racist.