Jennifer Lawrence explained her newfound hesitancy to publicly discuss Donald Trump — and American politics in general.
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Jennifer — who was previously a vocal Trump critic — made the comments in a recent episode of the New York Times’s The Interview podcast.
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She said, “I don’t really know if I should [continue commenting on Trump and US politics].”
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Explaining why she was previously outspoken about the president, Jennifer shared, “The first Trump administration was so wild, and just how can we let this stand? I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off.”
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“But as we’ve learned, election after election, celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for,” she said. “So then what am I doing? I’m just sharing my opinion on something that’s going to add fuel to a fire that’s ripping the country apart. We are so divided.”
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Jennifer also shared that she has some hesitancy due to potential career consequences. She explained, “I think I’m in a complicated recalibration because I’m also an artist. With this temperature and the way things can turn out, I don’t want to start turning people off to films and to art that could change consciousness or change the world because they don’t like my political opinions. I want to protect my craft so that you can still get lost in what I’m doing.”
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“And if I can’t say something that’s going to speak to some kind of peace or lowering the temperature or some sort of solution, I don’t want to be a part of the problem. I don’t want to make the problem worse… You watch these actors’ faces who have had incredible careers and made incredible contributions, and then one half of the internet doesn’t want to see their face anymore. I get so upset for those people, and it feels so wrong.”
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People reacted to Jennifer’s comments online, with many completely understanding her side. “I know everyone wants celebrities to speak up constantly, but I kinda see her side, too,” one Reddit user wrote. “What good did it do? Trump got elected again, even with Harris receiving a shit ton of celebrity endorsements. As a celebrity, you also get a lot more threats and public ire if you say something. If I post on social media ‘Fuck Trump and fuck ICE’ the only person I’m upsetting is my MAGA grandma. As a celebrity, you could very well have the orange blob in the WH post about you on Truth Social and get his cult followers to decide to do something.”
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Another person agreed: “Honestly, I get her. At this point I’m exhausted too. Like she said, this time around people knew what they’d be getting. Trump said what he’d do. We saw the chaos of his first term. And MORE people voted for him this time. After the election, I definitely had a ‘well, this is what we voted for, I guess we ride it out and try to clean up the mess when it’s done’ reaction. So if I were an actress, I can imagine I’d feel like ‘fine, I’m just gonna work and shut up.'”Others, however, had different thoughts.One person said, “I don’t think we should look to celebs as political guides but it’s undeniable that they have influence and money to use for sociopolitical good if they so choose. I think anyone with that position in society should educate themselves and at least make an effort to do some good.”Someone else shared, “I agree with her first paragraph, but she lost me with the second. It comes across as, ‘I don’t want to alienate my audience and negatively impact how my movies do in the box office.’ She’s trying to appeal to both ‘sides’ as an actress, and that’s fine, but let’s not pretend it’s for some greater good and your actual intention is to ‘change people through art.’ Nobody is watching No Hard Feelings and walking away with a different view on politics or humanity.”
At the same time, some people were in favor of celebrities using their platforms to speak on issues. One person said, “I am in favor of celebrities using their voice to talk about stuff like that. I am aware that most people find it patronizing but it’s important that people speak up against a political hegemony like the current one.”Another commented, “I’m gonna say I disagree. Expressing disapproval shows solidarity with those who are negatively affected by the administration and shows you will speak out even if it means upsetting some people.”What are your thoughts? Tell me in the comments.
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