Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is copping heat online after revealing he’s stepping back from talking about politics and a couple of very familiar Hollywood voices are not impressed.
In a recent Esquire profile, Johnson said he plans to keep his political views private moving forward, explaining: “What I have learned through experience is that I need to keep — need, not want — the main thing. And the main thing for me… is creating. It’s art. It’s storytelling.”
He added, “I’ve learned I’m going to keep my politics to myself… 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.”
That stance hasn’t exactly landed quietly.
Star Trek legend George Takei weighed in on Threads, writing bluntly: “Silence is complicity.”
Not long after, actor Wil Wheaton jumped in on the convo with even less subtlety, replying:“So disappointing to find out he is such a coward.”
Johnson’s position didn’t come out of nowhere. He previously endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 US election, but later admitted he regretted doing so. Speaking to Fox News in 2024, he said the endorsement “caused an incredible amount of division in our country,” adding, “There will be no endorsement… I will keep my politics to myself. It is between me and the ballot box”.
He’s also not the only A-lister rethinking how they engage with politics publicly. Jennifer Lawrence told The New York Times at the end of last year that she’s been pulling back from political commentary, questioning its impact and saying, “We are so divided”.
But not everyone in Hollywood is opting out.
Some stars have continued to speak openly, even when it comes with consequences. Scream actor Melissa Barrera was dropped from the franchise in 2023 after posting about pro-Palestine content, while others like Mark Ruffalo have remained consistently vocal on political and humanitarian issues.
After all, for an industry built on storytelling, often about power, conflict and society, it’s almost as if art itself is political. Choosing to stay out of it is a statement in itself, even if the intention is to keep the focus on the work.
Lead image: Getty
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