What to Know
It’s no secret that Americans are living in a pretty politically volatile time, so speaking out about what’s right is more important than ever — especially for celebrities who have huge platforms. But after Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made it clear that he has no interest in getting political, he’s getting a ton of backlash, with one actor even calling him a “coward” for refusing to stand up for what he believes in.
Dwayne made a wishy-washy comment about politics in a new interview.
While speaking with Esquire for his new cover interview, Dwayne said that he prefers to keep his political beliefs private, since his “main thing” is storytelling and art.
“I’ve learned I’m going to keep my politics to myself,” he said. “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 bulls— that comes with it.”
His latest comments come more than two years after he told Fox News that he regretted publicly endorsing Joe Biden because it wasn’t helping to “bring the country together.”
He was immediately called out by some pretty famous people.
Wil Wheaton calls Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) a coward for keeping his politics to himself
by u/Relevant-Peach3997 in Fauxmoi
After The Rock’s Esquire interview was published, one very public figure wasn’t impressed with his comments: Star Trek legend George Takei. Posting about the situation on multiple social media accounts including Facebook and Threads, he wrote, “Silence is complicity.”
Actor Wil Wheaton agreed with him, replying to his post on Threads, “So disappointing to find out he is such a coward.” Ouch.
Fans agree: Dwayne refusing to speak out is cowardly.
Unfortunately, it’s not just Dwayne’s peers who are disappointed in him — fans also aren’t very happy with him, according to what people are saying on Reddit. Many pointed out that he’s reached the point in his career where worrying about losing out on work by sharing his opinions isn’t a factor anymore.
“He’s one of the top actors and really shouldn’t worry about finding new work,” one commenter wrote. “All that muscle and show of a big strong guy, too weak to express his own opinion.”
Others believe that Dwayne is saying (without actually saying) that he actually votes red, with one writing, “I would imagine anyone that says they ‘Keep my politics to myself’ is very much telling you where their political beliefs lie.”
The Rock is all over the place right now, promoting the new live action Moana movie, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll suddenly change his mind and start talking politics just because some people wish he would.
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