Oscars Get Political, Highlighted by Brad Pitt's Impeachment Dismay and Greta Thunberg
Hollywood stuck to the same old script Sunday at the Academy Awards, relying upon a plot filled with liberal causes and Trump-bashing.
Actor Brad Pitt attacked Senate Republicans during his acceptance speech for his award as best supporting actor for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”
“They told me I only have 45 seconds up here, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week,” Pitt said in his speech. “I’m thinking maybe Quentin [Tarantino] does a movie about it. In the end, the adults do the right thing.”
During the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, the Senate rejected Democratic attempts to add witnesses, including Bolton, a former national security adviser who reportedly offered a different version of events on Trump’s Ukraine policy than did the president.
Speaking after the show, Pitt said he felt moved to speak out by the events that led to Trump’s acquittal.
“I was really disappointed with this week. I think the gamesmanship Trump’s doing, I don’t think we should let that slide. I’m very serious about that,” he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Pitt’s political musings earned him multiple thumbs down on Twitter.
Took 10 seconds for the first winner (Brad Pitt) to bash President Trump.
Only surprised it took that long.
As always, this will help Trump not hurt him. #Oscars2020— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) February 10, 2020
i have to hand it to Brad Pitt for coming up with that brave political statement extemporaneously, without any help from various speech-writing agencies that his people definitely did not contact.
— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) February 10, 2020
Maybe in Quentin’s movie he’ll explore why House Dems didn’t call more relevant witnesses during their investigation
¯\_( ツ)_/¯ https://t.co/WNsYAeRIdH— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) February 10, 2020
Actor Joaquin Phoenix meandered about on the issue of inequality during his speech after winning the award for best actor for his performance in “Joker.“
“I’ve been thinking a lot about some of the distressing issues that we are facing collectively,” Phoenix said. “And I think at times we feel or are made to feel that we champion different causes, but for me, I see commonality.
“I think whether we’re talking about gender inequality or racism or queer rights or indigenous rights or animal rights, we’re talking about the fight against injustice.
“We’re talking about the fight against the belief that one nation, one people, one race, one gender or one species has the right to dominate, control and use and exploit another with impunity.
“I think that we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world, and many of us, what we’re guilty of, is an egocentric worldview, the belief that we’re the center of the universe. We go into the natural world and we plunder it for its resources.
“We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow. And when she gives birth, we steal her baby even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable, and then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.”
Climate change activist Greta Thunberg made a brief appearance, saying that her foray into activism was sparked by a climate change documentary.
@GretaThunberg makes a surprise appearance at the #Oscars. pic.twitter.com/6ftyMBNZ4x
— Gabriel Hays (@ghays1492) February 10, 2020
Julia Reichert, co-director of “American Factory,” which was produced by former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama and won the award for best documentary, included in her speech a line from the “Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx and Frederich Engels.
“We believe that things will get better when workers of the world unite,” she said.
Julia Reichert of “American Factory”: “Working people have it harder and harder these days—and we believe that things will get better when workers of the world unite.” https://t.co/8kz7m5vtnF #Oscars pic.twitter.com/tVGnWP7HBi
— ABC News (@ABC) February 10, 2020
The political tone of the awards show represented the type of commentary that comedian Ricky Gervais mocked during last month’s Golden Globe awards.
“So if you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech,” he said. “You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg.”
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