Woody Harrelson Blasts Hollywood Over Vaccination Standards
Woody Harrelson revealed in a recent interview that he considers current COVID-19 protocols to be "absurd."
In Zombieland, Tallahassee, played by Woody Harrelson, has a saying: nut up or shut up. After a recent New York Times interview where Harrelson complains about COVID precautions in Hollywood, fans are wishing the actor chose “shut up.” Variety reports that the Cheers star called COVID protocols on set “absurd” when promoting his new movie Champions.
When the New York Times pushed the actor to explain why the safety protocols were “absurd” Woody elaborated. “I don’t think that anybody should have the right to demand that you’re forced to do the testing, forced to wear the mask, and forced to get vaccinated three years on,” Harrelson explained. The actor then specified that it was the film crew he was really worried about, not the actors like himself.
The Now You See Me star expressed his opinion that mandatory masks and vaccines for everyone working on set made America “not a free country.” Woody Harrelson considers himself an anarchist and, as such, doesn’t believe the government should encroach upon one’s personal liberty. Harrelson’s beliefs in regard to COVID-19 vaccines happen to align with the extreme right wing of the US, a faction the actor doesn’t otherwise publically identify with.
A longtime marijuana enthusiast, Woody Harrelson has never exactly screamed conservative despite his Texan roots. The actor described his personal politics as “purple” on a recent Saturday Night Live appearance (which put him into the exclusive Five-Timers Club of hosting). Harrelson used his belief that people should be able to own guns, but only if they’re “squirt guns,” as an example of his personal blending of Red and Blue state philosophies.
From there, Woody Harrelson used his SNL monologue to further his stance as an anti-vaxxer. The actor talked about an apparently fictional script he was reading before the pandemic about the government forcing people to stay in their homes unless they agree to take certain “drugs.” It was a meandering “story” that, while hard to follow, ultimately seemed to be a metaphor for the COVID-19 vaccine as well as Harrelson’s famous fondness for marijuana.
It’s worth noting that while the True Detective actor might not identify as a conservative outright, he starred in a movie about 9/11 being an inside job and thinks 5G and COVID are connected.
Harrelson’s new movie Champions is a sports dramedy directed by Bobby Farrelly and produced by Focus Pictures. It’s too early to tell if the movie, which comes out on March 10, will be hurt by the recent controversy. The film revolves around Woody Harrelson coaching a basketball team of players with what IMDb describes as “intellectual disabilities.”
Given that the subject matter in Champions is already one that should be treated delicately, one can only assume that the filmmakers aren’t thrilled to have Woody make strongly anti-vax comments while promoting the movie.
