Actress Charlotte Rampling says uproar over Oscars diversity is 'racist to whites'

Charlotte Rampling.
(Image credit: Clemens Bilan/Stringer/Getty Images)

Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith, Spike Lee, and Mark Ruffalo are among a growing number of voices skewering the 2016 Oscars for the flagrant lack of racially diverse nominees. However, not everyone feels the same way: Charlotte Rampling, who is nominated for Best Actress for her role in 45 Years, says "Perhaps the black actors did not deserve to make the final list."

Going even further, Rampling, 69, told French Radio network Europe 1 on Friday that she saw the quarrel over diversity as being "racist to whites."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.