“Continue to Preach”: An Actress’s Terrifying Call to Action

Note: This article may contain comments that reflect the opinions of the author.

What do Americans want from Hollywood stars? Not preaching, not social justice, not virtue signaling. No, Americans want their actors to act. That’s it. Not to do anything else, not to get political. Just to produce new, good movies.

Unfortunately, Hollywood doesn’t seem to have caught that. Instead, it still seems to want to do all the normal nonsense, especially signaling virtue.

From wake-up movies to constant speeches on social justice issues of the time, Hollywood stars stayed in touch and continued to preach sobriety, completely ignoring what the average person said. want in the process.

That nominee was 90-year-old actress Rita Moreno, who, in a speech at the Stanley Kramer Awards at the PGA, defended the celebrity lecture on political issues. Deadline, report on her speech, speak she speaks:

“I’m 90 years old now and working in this business has taken persistence, hard work, advocating social justice issues for the past 60 years, it’s been exhausting, exhilarating and life-giving. living. Without those steps, the fire in me as a young woman, I would not be here tonight to receive this wondrous honor.

“I am not a person of religious faith, but for me, film is often a sacred text that prompted me to follow what Lincoln called the better angels in our nature.”

“In those seasons where prophets are silent and statesmen reign, fortunately, filmmakers keep preaching and unceasingly advocating issues of fairness and justice. Producer and director Stanley Kramer is one such seer, who never shies away from the issues of social justice and equity in his work.”

Then, at the end of his speech, Moreno urged his co-stars and actresses to “keep preaching,” saying:

“We are in the final stages of another awards season. Some in our tribe have been known to use the limelight to advocate for the issues covered in their nominated works – climate change, universal health care , suffrage, pro-LGBTQ and others– and I know for some audiences, in some audiences, has been known to create, how should I say, a slight discomfort. For others, the heart beats fast.

“Who are these actors after all, who do these Hollywood types think they are? Citizens in a democracy? Well, F**k ’em!”

She also gives a mandatory reference to President Zelensky of Ukraine, who is himself a former actor and comedian.

Her view that actors have freedom of speech is correct; they are protected by the First Amendment as much as anyone else.

But it misses the point. Americans are not saying that actors are not allowed to speak, but that they should just hold back and focus on entertaining fans, not rambling about half-hearted political ideologies.

Unfortunately for the entertainment industry, Moreno doesn’t seem to understand that. Hopefully the other actors are smarter and more focused on creating better entertainment than “preaching”. That is their job, not to preach and signal virtue.