‘Landman‘ Star Billy Bob Thornton Criticizes Political Statements at Awards Shows
LOS ANGELES, CA – Actor Billy Bob Thornton has voiced his frustration with the trend of actors using awards shows as platforms for political commentary, questioning their expertise and the potential for misdirection. Thornton shared his views during a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan experience, stating that unless someone has thoroughly studied a subject, their political opinions are unwelcome from the stage.
“I donate to a lot of charities, mainly children’s stuff. But nobody knows it. I don’t go to the award show and talk about it while I’m getting my award,” Thornton said. “It’s like Ricky Gervais said,’Look,come up here,accept your little award,and f*** off.’ First of all, unless you’ve really studied stuff and know about a subject fully, who the hell would want to listen to a musician or an actor talk about politics? It’s like, ‘Are we supposed to follow this? If we are, what if they lead you down the wrong road?'”
Thornton, currently starring in the Paramount+ series landman, also expressed his dislike for the increasing divisiveness of politics and advocated for a ”common sense party” focused on practical solutions.
“I call myself a radical moderate,” Thornton explained. “I’m very strong in my opinions. But, my opinions don’t belong to any political party.I just look at what makes sense. And I think we need a common sense party in this country.That’s actually what we need.”
The actor’s comments come as his show, Landman, has sparked discussion regarding energy policy and climate change, though Thornton maintains the series aims to present truths rather than promote a specific agenda. He previously stated the show isn’t “pro-oil” given its focus on an “oil fixer” character.
