Meryl Streep Sparks Controversy After Saying "We're All Africans" At Berlin Film Festival 2016

Meryl Streep is finding herself in some hot water after some controversial comments she made at the 2016 Berlin Film Festival Thursday, where she is currently president of the festival's jury panel. Speaking in regards to the entirely white panel at the festival, Streep made the comment that "we're all Africans, really," which immediately raised eyebrows.

Streep's comments were made when an Egyptian reporter asked the actress if she believes she could understand films from North Africa and the Middle East. Streep replied, "I've played a lot of different people from a lot of different cultures."

"There is a core of humanity that travels right through every culture, and after all we're all from Africa originally," she said. "Berliners, we're all Africans really."

She continued to say that despite the all-white jury panel, the Berlinale are "ahead of the game." "This jury is evidence that at least women are included and in fact dominate this jury, and that's an unusual situation in bodies of people who make decisions," she said.

People went on Twitter to express their disapproval of Streep's comments. "If Meryl Streep was trying to say we all originate from Africa, then say that. And know that isn't a defense for an all-white film jury," senior editor of New Republic, Jamil Smith, tweeted. Still others defended the actress, saying "her quote was taken out of context."

Streep's comments come on the heels of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, which came about when Oscar nominations were announced and all of those nominated in the four acting categories were white, with other categories not being very diverse either.

The Berlin Film Festival opened Thursday with the Coen brothers' latest, Hail, Caesar! starring George Clooney, Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson and more. A total of 18 films are currently in contention at the festival.

Along with Streep, the jury panel includes British actor Clive Owen, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher, French photographer Brigitte Lacombe, British film critic Nick James, and Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska.