In a recent interview with Playboy, film star Gary Oldman called political correctness in our society “crap” and defended fellow actors like Mel Gibson and Alec Baldwin who have been shunned for saying the wrong things.
“I think it’s like, take a f—–g joke,” said The Dark Knight star. “Get over it. I heard about a science teacher who was teaching that God made the earth and God made everything and that if you believe anything else you’re stupid. A Buddhist kid in the class got very upset about this, so the parents went in and are suing the school! … No one can take a joke anymore.”
Oldman defended actor Mel Gibson for his anti-Semitic comments, saying that we’re all “hypocrites” for making him an “outcast” and a “leper” for his statement when we all say offensive things. Likewise, he said he doesn’t “blame” Alec Baldwin for using an anti-gay slur when trying to fend off paparazzi.
“We all hide and try to be so politically correct,” continued Oldman. “That’s what gets me. It’s just the sheer hypocrisy of everyone, that we all stand on this thing going, ‘Isn’t that shocking?”’
He also spoke of one of his greatest frustrations of the moment, namely the fact that some individuals in Hollywood can utter politically incorrect statements without challenge, while others can’t.
“If I called Nancy Pelosi a [insert really offensive word] — and I’ll go one better, a f—–g useless [insert really offensive word] —I can’t really say that,” explained Oldman. “But Bill Maher and Jon Stewart can, and nobody’s going to stop them from working because of it. Bill Maher could call someone a f-g and get away with it.”
He said that this “double standard” has become a recognizable characteristic of the show business community.
“It’s our culture now, absolutely,” asserted the actor. “At the Oscars, if you didn’t vote for ’12 Years a Slave’ you were a racist. You have to be very careful about what you say. I do have particular views and opinions that most of this town doesn’t share, but it’s not like I’m a fascist or a racist.”
The “libertarian” actor also touched on his personal opinion of Washington politics, expressing his dissatisfaction with Secretary of State John Kerry and potential presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
“I feel we need some real leadership, and it’s nowhere in sight,” he complained. “Look at what’s happening right now. John Kerry going off to China to talk about North Korea? What’s that going to do? The ludicrousness of it. What a waste of money.”
Of Hillary, Oldman said plainly that she “isn’t the right person for the job,” comparing himself and his opinion to his character in the film “The Contender.”
Somewhere in Hollywood, “politically correct” liberals are gasping and saying, “Isn’t that shocking?”
