Oscar controversy: Michael Caine says black actors should ‘be patient’

The British actor didn’t hold back when asked to weigh in on the ongoing debate about a call for diversity in Hollywood, after no people of color were nominated for Oscars in acting categories for the second year in a row.

"There's loads of black actors. You can't vote for an actor because he's black,” said Caine, 82, in a BBC Radio 4 interview when asked about the issue.

“You got to give a good performance, and I'm sure there were very good (performances)."

Caine, a two-time Oscar winner and four-time nominee, also advised that black actors simply “be patient” about getting Academy Award recognition, using himself as an example.

"Be patient ... of course, it will come. It took me years to get an Oscar," said Caine, who won his first Oscar in 1987 for his supporting role in “Hannah and Her Sisters.”

Caine’s comments come just as fellow British actor Charlotte Rampling, one of this year’s nominees in the best actress category, received backlash for dismissing the #OscarsSoWhite movement as “racists to whites.”

Caine’s comments come just as fellow British actor Charlotte Rampling, one of this year’s nominees in the best actress category, received backlash for dismissing the #OscarsSoWhite movement as “racists to whites.”

And in the wake of the mounting controversy, the Academy pledged “historic reforms" Friday, including promising to double its number of female and minority members by 2020.