Before Sunrise star Julie Delpy issued a formal apology this weekend for seeming to want to incite a race-versus-gender-struggle competition last week by suggesting being a woman in Hollywood is harder than being African-American.
At Sundance on Friday — during a group interview with The Wrap promoting her film Weiner-Dog — she weighed in on the Oscars, and the discussion about changing Oscar voting rights, which was ultimately altered to foster a more diverse voting membership and nominees. She said:
Two years ago, I said something about the Academy being very white male, which is the reality, and I was slashed to pieces by the media…It’s funny — women can’t talk. I sometimes wish I were African American because people don’t bash them afterward. It’s the hardest to be a woman. Feminists is something people hate above all. Nothing worse than being a woman in this business. I really believe that.
Delpy called out the Academy’s old, white and male composition during a 2014 interview with SoFilm. “It’s 90% white men over 70 who need money because they haven’t done anything in a long time,” Delpy said. When pointing out how she was into complaining about the Academy before it was cool backfired, however, Delpy quickly followed up her… let’s call them “misguided” comments with an apology sent to Entertainment Weekly Saturday. She said:
I’m very sorry for how I expressed myself… It was never meant to diminish the injustice done to African American artists or to any other people that struggle for equal opportunities and rights, on the contrary. All I was trying to do is to address the issues of inequality of opportunity in the industry for women as well (as I am a woman). I never intended to underestimate anyone else’s struggle! We should stay alert and united and support each other to change this unfair reality and don’t let anyone sabotage our common efforts by distorting the truth. Again I’m so sorry for this unfortunate misunderstanding, people who know me, know very well that I can’t stand inequality and injustice of any kind.
Delpy is not the only actress walking back reactions to this year’s chapter in the ongoing story of Oscar whiteness. Charlotte Rampling, who’s nominated for best actress this year, had called the act of boycotting the Oscars over the lack of diversity among this year’s nominees “racist to whites,” and told CBS News:
I regret that my comments could have been misinterpreted this week in my interview with Europe 1 Radio. I simply meant to say that in an ideal world every performance will be given equal opportunities for consideration. I am very honored to be included in this year’s wonderful group of nominated actors and actresses.