Soul singer Joss Stone has labelled the 2016 Oscar's diversity row as “a bit dodgy”, claiming it is “racist” to highlight an actor's skin colour when casting for a role.
“To say that it’s strange for this person to have this or that part because of their skin colour is racist,” she said in an interview with the Evening Standard.
"Look at the art, look at what you’ve created and let the people decide if they like it or not.
“If they do, that’s great and if they don’t, move on. It doesn’t have to be about what’s ‘culturally appropriate’, because that’s silly and we don’t live in that world anymore.”
Stone’s comments follow heated controversy over the 2016 Oscar nominees, dubbed #OscarsSoWhite, which has seen actors from every stage in their career speak out about the lack of diversity among nominees.
Will Smith, Spike Lee and Reese Witherspoon have spoken out against the Academy, with Cheryl Boone Isaacs - Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president - calling for reforms to its membership.
Stone has herself been subject to race-related controversy after being named Billboard’s top reggae artist of 2015 in December, with many critics and members of the public questioning the choice of a middle-class white woman for the award.
“I’ve had that problem since I was 14; since I opened my mouth,” said Stone.
“Racism is upsetting, so I don’t think it’ll ever be like, ‘Oh that’s fine’ — it’s never a nice thing to say.”
