Today in problematic fave news, Meryl Streep answered questions on diversity in film at the Berlin International Film Festival, of which she is jury president. Taking questions as to what she knew about Arab films, Streep said that though she didn’t know very much, she’s played many different people of different cultures. She put the nail in the coffin though with this dismissive quip on diversity when she said, “we’re all Africans, really” before continuing to talk about her commitment to inclusion of “all genders, race, ethnicities, religions.”
This is Streep’s first term heading up the festival’s jury, where she joins German actor Lars Eidinger, British film critic Nick James, French photographer Brigitte Lacombe, British actor Clive Owen, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher and Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska. “This jury is evidence that at least women are included and in fact dominate this jury, and that’s an unusual situation in bodies of people who make decisions,” Streep said. “So I think the Berlinale is ahead of the game.”
Twitter seized on her comments, immediately trending ‘Meryl Streep’ and reacting with the customary mixture of criticism and humor.
Peak white woman levels https://t.co/Qlb9RXwJfd
— Johnetta Elzie (@Nettaaaaaaaa) February 11, 2016
LRT…also peak white feminism on display: “The Jury is evidence that at least women are included”
Yes Meryl. White women. SMH.
— Lexi Alexander (@Lexialex) February 11, 2016
Meryl just trying to take roles away from true hard working African Actresses…. like Charlize Theron.
— Ol’ QWERTY Bastard (@TheDiLLon1) February 11, 2016
Meryl Streep pic.twitter.com/hSuXIbLHRJ
— Lays Farra (@LaysFarra) February 11, 2016
Meryl Streep must have seen the side by side pic of her and Future and let it go to her head. pic.twitter.com/G1BQ7INFzF
— Ol’ QWERTY Bastard (@TheDiLLon1) February 11, 2016
I’ve said multiple times that I want Meryl Streep to play me in a movie about my life. https://t.co/UR4eYIxiwg
— Matthew Decuir (@MattBasically) February 11, 2016
Streep is not the first white actor to say something insensitive about issues of diversity in film this season- after the Oscars nominated exclusively white actors for the 2016 awards, actor Michael Caine told Black actors to “be patient” and nominee Charlotte Rampling said that the #OscarsSoWhite backlash and resulting boycott was “racist to whites“.
