Rowan Atkinson, the British actor known for his work in the Mr. Bean television series, took a swipe at “cancel culture.”
“The problem we have online is that an algorithm decides what we want to see. … It becomes a case of ‘either you’re with us or against us,’ and if you’re against us, you deserve to be ‘canceled,'” Atkinson said during an exclusive interview with Radio Times. “It’s important that we’re exposed to a wide spectrum of opinion, but what we have now is the digital equivalent of the medieval mob roaming the streets looking for someone to burn.”
The 65-year-old actor argued that the prospect of being torched by the online mob is “scary” for all who are subjected to it.
“It fills me with fear about the future,” he added.
After the British sitcom went off the air in 1995, Mr. Bean enjoyed a spinoff in the form of an animated series, which premiered in 2002, and there have been live film adaptions too. Now, Atkinson says that an animated film is in the works.
“Having made an animated TV series, we’re now in the foothills of developing an animated movie for Mr. Bean,” he said, noting that he finds it easier to play the character vocally than visually.
Atkinson conducted the interview with the radio outlet to promote his new show, Man vs. Bee. Netflix describes the show as “a riotous comedy” in which “a man finds himself at war with a bee while housesitting a luxurious mansion.”
