Julie Delpy claims women in the movie business do it tough

HOLLYWOOD star Julie Delpy claims women have it harder than African Americans in the movie business and feels women aren’t listened to.

Writer, director and actor Julie Delpy said she sometimes wishes she was African American rather than a woman. Picture: Matt Sayles Source: AP

ACTRESS Julie Delpy has talked about the struggles women face in Hollywood and claimed it would be easier to be African American.

The Oscar-nominated writer, director and actor said there was “nothing worse than being a woman in this business” while appearing on a panel organised by TheWrap at the Sundance Film Festival.

Her comments come after the Oscars was criticised for a lack of racial diversity among its nominees.

Delpy said she raised concerns about limited diversity in recent years and was shut down.

About two years ago Delpy reportedly pointed out there were only a few women who were members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“I said something about the Academy being very white male, which is the reality, and I was slashed to pieces by the media,” she told TheWrap.

“It’s funny — women can’t talk. I sometimes wish I were African American because people don’t bash them afterwards.”

Delpy sat on the panel alongside fellow actors Danny DeVito and Kieran Culkin, who put his head in his hand after she made her comments.

Lol the guy next to Julie Delpy right after she says she wishes she were black cuz it's easier than being a woman pic.twitter.com/Kirv6vJGAG

— Malcolm Harris (@BigMeanInternet) January 23, 2016

But Delpy did not back away from her comments, repeating her claim that being a woman was the biggest struggle.

“Feminists are something people hate above all. Nothing worse than being a woman in this business. I really believe that,” she told TheWrap.

DeVito too criticised Hollywood and told TheWrap it was unfortunate that people were xenophobic and that women made 30 per cent less than men at various times.

“I just found out it happens in the film business. Women are hired for less money than men,” he said.

Delpy was slammed on Twitter for her comments, with some even calling her ignorant.

The thing that gets me about Julie Delpy's nonsense is that she could not have picked a worse example than the Oscars. It has a female quota

— Sam Pritchard (@Thucydiplease) January 23, 2016

This year a number African American actors announced they would boycott the Oscars due to a lack of diverse nominees.

Will Smith and his wife Jada, David Oyelowo, Will Packer and Chris Rock are among a group of people who have vowed not to attend the prestigious awards night.

Oscars nominee Charlotte Rampling seems to have a different view on the lack of diversity among the nominees and said the #OscarsSoWhite movement was racist against whites.

“You can never know for sure, but perhaps black actors did not deserve to be in the final list,” she told Europe 1 radio.

Following the outrage about the lack of diversity, Oscars organisers announced it would double the number of female and minority Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members by 2020.

It is hoped that this will make the Academy’s membership, its governing bodies, and its voting members significantly more diverse.

“In order to immediately increase diversity on the Board of Governors, the Academy will establish three new governor seats that will be nominated by the president for three-year terms and confirmed by the board,” the Academy wrote in a statement.

Originally published as Julie Delpy claims women in the movie business do it tough