Hollywood actor Kurt Russell might have said the words that many people were thinking. The famous fella suggests that actors should stay away from politics and he had a good reason – that it hurts acting. When actors get too far involved with politics, they can become known for their opinions off the screen more than their performance on the screen. That’s something Russell suggests is hurtful to acting.
To make it worse, when actors express too many political opinions, they also have the ability to scare some of their fans away in some form of disconnect. It’s like finding out your favorite actor is a fan of your least preferred presidential candidate.
Russell was interviewed by The New York Times and Daily Wire gathered a few quotes from the story:
“I’ve always been someone who felt we are court jesters,” said Russell. “That’s what we do. As far as I’m concerned, you should step away from saying anything so that you can still be seen by the audience in any character.”
Though Russell certainly believed actors should have their own views and be informed about issues, he felt that they “lose their status as a court jester” the moment they become political.
“There’s no reason entertainers can’t learn just as much as anybody else about a subject, whatever it is,” he said. “But I think that what’s sad about it is that they lose their status as a court jester. And I’m a court jester. That’s what I was born to do.”
“A court jester is the only one who can walk into the castle and put the king down as long as he doesn’t hit too close to home. I think that’s been a big, important part of all cultures throughout history, and I’d like to see it stay in ours,” he continued.
Actors who voice opinions on social media run the risk of facing the cancel culture and being boycotted. Actors like Kurt Russell suggest staying out of politics, because avoiding the cancel culture that has stricken social media is probably best for everyone in Hollywood.
Photo: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons