Brian Cox has nothing to fear, at least on paper, from Cancel Culture.
The “Succession” prominence wasn’t hit because of something he said yesterday or a thousand days ago. He’s beloved by the Hollywood press for his decades of stellar work, and he’s a respected man on the public record.
Cox still takes time to chopped Cancel Culture the way his colleagues should have done it years ago.
“It’s really a kind of modern-day McCarthyism… It’s a kind of attack on people’s sensibility to minimize and turn them into… I don’t know, there’s just too much hypocrisy in the whole thing. topic.”
Cox continued.
“The hypocritical concept of ‘I’m a libertarian’ but you’re actually fascist and people should just stop it and act on their own,” he said.
Which brings us to two actors who have kept us entertained for 40 years.
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Production on Bill Murray’s new film, “Being Mortal,” was shut down last month after an actress accused the comic book legend of inappropriate behavior on set. Ironically, the project’s screenwriter/director is Aziz Ansari, a comedian who saw his own career fall apart in 2018 after a… only accusation.
Murray defends his actions Recently, describe a difference of opinion regarding a humorous gesture.
Is he right?
All we know is that the project is in limbo and it’s unlikely the “Ghostbusters” star will return first. It’s also possible that this will prevent Murray from working again, although he hasn’t had a chance to defend himself yet.
Something similar happened to Frank Langella, cut from Netflix’s upcoming “Fall of the House of Usher” series last month because of so-called inappropriate behavior. Again, the details that were made public didn’t explain much, so Langella wrote a Rapid response via Deadline.com far left.
I was cancelled. That’s all.
In the midst of the frenzy that was increasingly pervading our industry, I could not have imagined that the word “collateral damage” would fall on my shoulders. They carried a weight I did not expect in the decades that ended my career. And with it came a serious sense of unforeseeable danger.
Langella described the allegations against him in more detail. He also shared what he considers a deeply unfair system where he and his representatives are unable to raise their case, address their accuser or save what is could be the ultimate role in a great career.
The veteran actor ended his nostalgia by pointing out the real villain in his sad story.
Destroying culture is the antithesis of democracy. It inhibits conversation and argument. It limits our ability to listen, mediate, and exchange opposing views. Most tragically, it cancels moral judgment.
This is not fair. This is not just. This is not American.
He’s right.
There’s a lot to unpack here.
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Stars sometimes behave badly, and those acts have been ignored for decades. The most severe examples belong to Harvey Weinstein producercurrently in prison for sexually assaulting several stars.
Others, like producer Scott Rudin, treat their co-workers so badly.
What about the rest? What are the stories that are dark and boiling hot he says / does she say disagreements? How does Hollywood deal with them? So far, the results are not promising.
We’re seeing another example of this with Fred Savage, the former “Wonder Years” star. removed from the restart of the program for unexplained behavior. ABC alleges the move came after an internal investigation, but knowing what Langella faced is far from comforting.
Another factor that cannot be ignored.
Victims are the highest level in our culture right now. Read celebrity interviews and you’ll see why the stars explain why they were injuredwronged or blocked from achieving their dreams.
That’s why fake hate crimes are all rage. Victims empower people, and they don’t always have the truth on their side.
Are Murray and Langella attackers part of this new corrosive movement? Or do they have legitimate concerns about the behavior on the spot that they rightfully called?
At the very least, it’s curious that we’re seeing three examples of this within weeks.
Cancel culture often sets the debate aside, as Langella notes. That partly explains why Cox spoke up. He understands one of his colleagues could be the next Murray or Langella to be aborted under murky circumstances.
Or, he could be next in line.
