It seemed like the message was finally getting out to Hollywood. When you stand where others tell you to stand, wear clothes chosen by others, and deliver lines that are written for you, essentially playing adult dress up and make-believe, nobody gives a toss about your personal opinions. Dwayne Johnson realised this early.
All the way back in 2024 he told Fox News that he regretted endorsing Joe Biden for president in 2020.
He said it caused division amongst his fans, adding at the time:
“My goal is to bring this country together. I believe in that. There will be no endorsement. At this level of influence, I will keep my politics to myself. It is between me and the ballot box.”
We have talked here lately about how it is increasingly difficult to keep politics and pop-culture, including movies, apart. It takes effort, and it is not always possible. It looks like Johnson understands this.
As part of his press tour for Moana, he has spoken again of his personal aversion to including political opinions in his publicity, saying to Esquire:
“What I have learned through experience is that I need to keep — need, not want — the main thing. And the main thing for me, the thing that in the morning I swing my legs out of bed and I run towards, is creating. It’s art. It’s storytelling. I’ve learned I’m going to keep my politics to myself.”
He went on to say why this remains important to him:
“There are moments when, hey, there’s nothing we can’t talk about. If I’m wrong, I’ll tell you I’m wrong. Or if I feel like I got a leg up and this is the right way to go, I’ll share it with you. Politics is omnipresent and it’s forever. I don’t like it. I hate it at times. I hate the slinging. I hate all the bullshit that comes with it.”
These comments to Esquire magazine have now drawn criticism, and you’ll never guess who from!
Star Trek actor George Takei, himself no stranger to a Johnson, attacked this stance on Threads, saying:
“Silence is complicity.”
Another usual suspect chipped in, with fellow Star Trek alum Wil Wheaton replying:
“So disappointing to find out he is such a coward.”
Erm, guys. You know he’s out promoting a live-action adaptation of a kids animated musical… right?
