The Twisters star Glen Powell says he is not interested in speaking out about politics because the discussion alienates too many people.
In an interview with Esquire magazine, Powell says that his parents were utterly disinterested in politics. And these days, the Chad Powers star says that politics interests him even less, the magazine says.
To Powell, politics are just too divisive.
“Over time, I realized that politics divide people,” he told the magazine.
“People trying to prove their point — for me, it’s the worst version of a conversation,” he continued. “I genuinely do not like the discourse.”
“It’s not as healthy as it once was,” he said, adding that talking politics “is not presently possible. I applaud people for jumping into those things and fighting for what they believe in. If I were a political person, I would be talking about it. For me, my calling is elsewhere.”
Powell has had a series of high-profile roles over the last decade, in films including Top Gun: Maverick, Twisters, and The Running Man. And he has scored a big streaming hit with his football comedy series, Chad Powers, a series he also created along with Michael Waldron.
Powell joins what might be a growing list of actors and entertainers who have finally learned the lesson that speaking out about politics naturally ticks off half their potential fan base.
Action star Dwayne Johnson, for one, learned that lesson after suffering a huge backlash for endorsing Joe Biden, even as he had previously claimed to lean to the center in political ideology. After that debacle, by July of this year, Johnson was pledging to steer clear of politics on the future.
“I’ve learned I’m going to keep my politics to myself. There are moments when, hey, there’s nothing we can’t talk about. If I’m wrong, I’ll tell you I’m wrong. Or if I feel like I got a leg up and this is the right way to go, I’ll share it with you. 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,” he said.
After being blasted for supporting Biden, “The Rock” quickly pivoted and refused to make any endorsements when the Democrat Party abandoned Biden and switched allegiance to Kamala Harris.
“My goal is to bring this country together. I believe in that. There will be no endorsement. At this level of influence, I will keep my politics to myself. It is between me and the ballot box,” he said when the party coronated Harris for the 2024 presidential election.
Another top celebrity who recently began backing away from politics is Jennifer Lawrence.
Despite previous vitriolic attacks on Republicans and Donald Trump, the Hunger Games star did an about face late last year by stating that expounding on politics was just making things worse.
Last November, Lawrence said that she has come to the opinion that spouting off about politics does not make a difference. “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,” she said.
Others who are begging off on politics include Josh Duhamel, who said actors should avoid upsetting half their audience by talking about politics, and Kevin James, who said he leaves politics to people who are more informed on the issues than he.
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