Back in the day, it was pretty hard to figure out all the way what an actor’s political beliefs are.
Now, it seems that you can’t get away from them. It’s becoming a real big pain to have to listen to some people in the entertainment industry and then try to watch their movies knowing all of that.
At the end of a long day, I just want to be entertained and not be compelled to listen to a political speech by an actor.
Hollywood legend Kurt Russell said in a joint interview with his longtime girlfriend, actress Goldie Hawn, that it isn’t in the job description of entertainers to tell their fans how to think.
Hollywood is certainly full of opinions and activism, but Russell, 69, told The New York Times in an interview published Wednesday he doesn’t view it as his job to get involved in politics — at least publicly.
While other stars are beating the drum for Democrats, forcing their sometimes radical views down the throats of fans, Russell said he thinks of himself as more of a “court jester” than a political pundit.
Not only that, but he suggested that behaving in an overtly political manner is damaging to the film industry, and he isn’t wrong.
“I’ve always been someone who felt we are court jesters. That’s what we do,” Russell said.
“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,” the “Overboard” and “Tombstone” actor said.
Russell seems incredibly well grounded for a man who made his first on-screen appearance in a 1962 episode of “Dennis the Menace.”
While so many other stars, many of them much younger, pontificate about the supposed virtues of liberalism and look down on those who don’t think like they do, Russell sees his role in life much differently.
The actor isn’t propping up one political candidate or another — he previously described himself as a libertarian in a 2015 interview with The Daily Beast — as he was quite clear that it isn’t in his job description to tell you how he’s feeling every 15 minutes on Twitter.