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Kurt Russell Believes Celebrities Should Stop Being 'Vocally Political'

Kurt Russell Believes Celebrities Should Stop Being 'Vocally Political'

He says A-listers are 'court jesters' and they shouldn't voice their political opinions.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

We've just seen one of the biggest and most controversial US elections in living memory.

Both sides of politics saw loads of support from regular folk as well as from celebrities, who, regardless of where they align themselves, said it was incredibly important to vote.

However, one celebrity reckons it's time for his counterparts to just shut up and take a backseat. Kurt Russell believes A-listers should stop being 'vocally political' and stick to being entertainers.

In an interview with the New York Times to promote the upcoming The Christmas Chronicles sequel, the actor said actors in particular are to blame.

PA

He added: "I've always been someone who felt we are court jesters. 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.

"There's no reason entertainers can't learn just as much as anybody else about a subject, whatever it is. 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 isn't always funny. 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."

Russell isn't the first in his industry to hit out at the big names from voicing their political alignments.

Funnyman Ricky Gervais used his moment in the spotlight to ask celebrities to keep their views to themselves because he thought those opinions weren't worth much.

Speaking at the Golden Globes, the After Life star said A-listers aren't usually affected by political outcomes and therefore shouldn't speak up.

"If you do win an award tonight, don't use it as a platform to make a political speech. You know nothing about the real world," he said.

"Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg. So if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent and your god and f*** off."

While some celebrities spend their time in mansions and laugh all the way to the bank, they still have the ability to rally support for a candidate they believe in - or even rally support if they don't like the other candidate.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Entertainment, Celebrity, Politics