Emma Thompson has an interesting if somewhat sadistic solution to the recent controversy over the lack of diversity among the Oscar nominees and the Oscars membership, which she points out "is mainly old, white men" in an interview with the Belfast Telegraph.
"It's hilarious. It's no change there. It's not as if it's ever been awash with people of color," Thompson responded to a question about the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. "Let's face it, the Oscar membership is mainly old, white men. That's the fact of it."
And what does the two-time Oscar winner suggest the Academy do to diversify its membership?
"Either you wait for them all to die, or kill them off slowly. I mean, I don't know. There's so many options, aren't there?" she said and then added that the Screen Actors Guild should have take a more "active" approach to making its membership "reflect the world."
Thompson's opinion comes a day after fellow Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep stirred controversy when she responded "We're all Africans, really," to a question about diversity during a press conference for the Berlin Film Festival. Streep is serving as the festival's jury president and overseeing a seven-person panel that includes no people of color but does have a female majority.
Her full quote follows:
"The thing I've noticed from my [different] roles is there is a core of humanity that travels right through every culture. And, after all, we're all from Africa, originally. We're all Berliners. We're all Africans, really," she said (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The 88th Annual Academy Awards will air on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 8:30 p.m. EST on ABC.
