George Takei has been raging at Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on social media after the action star decided he will be avoiding politics.
Earlier this month, the Fast & Furious star told Esquire in a long-ranging interview that storytelling and art has taken center-stage in his life, adding that politics becomes a never-ending game of mud-slinging and one-upmanship.
“What I have learned through experience is that I need to keep — need, not want — the main thing. And the main thing for me, the thing that in the morning I swing my legs out of bed and I run towards, is creating. It’s art. It’s storytelling,” he said.
“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 added.
In response, Star Trek actor George Takei raged on Threads against the actor, accusing him of being complicit.
“Silence is complicity,” said Takei.
At least one celebrity, Stand By Me actor Wil Wheaton, agreed. “So disappointing to find out he is such a coward,” said Wheaton.
Johnson’s comments about avoiding politics were an expansion upon his statement to Fox News in 2024 when he refused to endorse Kamala Harris after endorsing Joe Biden in 2020.
“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 at the time.
On the issue of AI, Johnson said that has become “cautiously interested, even excited” about the technology’s prospects.
“I’ve always been an advocate for embracing big change—after taking a hard look at it,” he said. “We can either stick our heads in the sand and be afraid, or we can say, ‘Okay, we’re here. Let’s see. Let’s explore.’”