Awards season looms – and that means viewers must once again brace themselves for a tidal wave of earnest speechifying.
“Who am I wearing? Valentino – and I call on all of you to fight climate change.”
Not a ceremony can pass without some actor haranguing their captive audience on everything from Trump to trans rights, Putin to Palestine.
Of course, they have a coveted platform from which to address millions, and a strong sense of social justice – thanks to their liberal-arts majors and organic diets – so why shouldn’t they be applauded for using it?
Well, enter the clear-sighted little boy from The Emperor’s New Clothes, in the shape of actor Claire Foy, who starred in The Crown as the late Queen Elizabeth II.
“I have absolutely no authority to discuss or proclaim about anything other than what I do as an actor,” she told Harper’s Bazaar, with frankly unprecedented self-awareness for a successful thespian. “If you’re just making noise for the sake of it, then you should probably shut up.”
Sadly, having no authority to discuss or proclaim has failed to stop hundreds of award-winning actors and musicians queuing to do just that, despite having, at best, a hazy grasp of the issues they’re trumpeting. Even comedian and actor Ricky Gervais, despite campaigning for animal rights (where, admittedly, it’s hard to go wrong), used his presenting gig at the 2020 Golden Globes to beg: “If you win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg.”
But those sane words did not prevent Joaquin Phoenix explaining how cow’s milk is stolen from their babies; Leonardo DiCaprio fuming about climate change (“We need to support leaders – who speak for all of humanity, for the Indigenous people”); or Michelle Williams tearfully thanking a woman’s right to choose for her entire career. Oscar-winner Jessica Chastain felt compelled to add: “I just want you to know that you are unconditionally loved for the uniqueness that is you,” during her pro-LGBTQ rights speech.
Meanwhile, singer Billie Eilish recently addressed billionaires, urging them to “give your money away, shorties”, while singer-songwriter Chappell Roan insisted that “they will never take trans joy away – know that pop music is thinking about you”.
They may all have valid points, depending on your perspective. But if urgent political sentiment from celebrities were truly a game-changer, we’d currently be watching Kamala Harris waving to adoring crowds. Even Bruce Springsteen’s on-stage denunciation of the American government as “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous”, and Taylor Swift tweeting, “I’m voting for @KamalaHarris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior”, failed to move the dial. It was a sharp reminder that cheering pop fans aren’t the ones who change their voting habits because billionaire Beyoncé tells them to.
Too many stars forget they’re up there because of their acting and singing. They imagine they’re invited onstage for themselves and their views.
Yet rather than emoting into a microphone, celebrities giving away their money is far more likely to create real change.
To quote Jeanine Pettibone, the superb manager-girlfriend in Spinal Tap: “money talks, and bulls**t walks.”
And, to be fair, many celebrities do put their money where their mouth is – albeit while failing to keep it closed. For them, there’s no donation without oration.
There’s an apocryphal tale of musician-preachers U2 playing a gig in Glasgow soon after Live Aid.
“Every time I clap my hands,” shouted Bono, portentously bringing his hands together, “a child in Africa dies.”
“Well,” came a distant voice from the crowd, “stop bloody clapping then!”
