Michael Caine - H 2014
AP Images/InvisionMichael Caine is the latest British actor to weigh in on the debate about this year’s all-white acting nominees for the Oscars.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4, Caine was asked about the controversy, responding: “There’s loads of black actors. You can’t vote for an actor because he’s black. You got to give a good performance, and I’m sure there were very good [performances].”
The 82-year-old acknowledged that he didn’t know that Idris Elba, for example, didn’t get nominated for his role in Beasts of No Nation. “The one I – I don’t know whether Idris got [nominated],” Caine said. “Because I saw Idris, and I thought he was wonderful. I thought he would get [nominated]. Did he not get nominated?”
When his interviewer confirmed that Elba wasn’t in the running for an Academy Award, Caine added: “Well, look at me. I won the [European Film Award for] best actor [for Youth], and I got nominated for nothing else.”
Asked about his advice for black actors frustrated by the situation, Caine said: “Be patient. Of course, it will come. Of course, it will come. It took me years to get an Oscar.”
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