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“She-Hulk” star Tatiana Maslany accused celebrities like Tom Selleck and Michael Jordan on Monday of behaving “cowardly” for not using their fame to push politics.
Joining Mehdi Hasan on his podcast “We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends,” the Marvel TV actress was praised for her past support for the “Free Palestine” movement and accusing Israel of committing a “genocide” in Gaza. Maslany said that she believed it was her job as an artist to address political issues.
“To me, artists are like mirrors to the world, to society,” Maslany said. “We have to name things, whether it’s emotional mirroring to people the human experience or it’s speaking out or it’s naming something. It’s like such an important, intrinsic part of our job.”
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Tatiana Maslany addressed celebrities who chose not to discuss politics on Mehdi Hasan’s podcast. (Olivia Wong/Getty Images for Film Independent )
Hasan then asked what she thought about other celebrities staying silent on political issues, referencing a recent CNN interview with “Blue Bloods” and “Magnum P.I.” actor Tom Selleck where he declined to discuss politics, or NBA star Michael Jordan’s famous “Republicans buy sneakers too” statement.
“But all of it is political. Everything is political,” Maslany responded. “All entertainment is political because it has a viewpoint and it has a perspective. It has visual representation of the world we live in or the kinds of things that are funny or acceptable or the ways that people relate to each other. It’s all about inter-person, like there’s no disconnect in my mind and to me, those are two very rich men who stand to lose a lot if they stand up for something.”
Hasan agreed with Maslany that celebrities were more concerned about “fewer opportunities to make money” by dabbling in political discussion, a sentiment Maslany called “bizarre” and “cowardly.”
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Actor Tom Selleck previously rejected the idea of discussing politics in a CNN interview last month. (Getty Images)
“Art should destabilize people, too. I’m not thinking, like Tom Selleck’s going like ‘Magnum P.I. should really disturb people on a core level.’ But like, art moves people, whether that’s in like a shock way, a laughter way, all of it. It’s a communication with the world … It’s such a bizarre mentality. It’s so cowardly,” Maslany said.
In a comment to Fox News Digital, Media Research Center Video senior director Eric Scheiner called out Maslany for having the “typical leftist viewpoint that permeates Hollywood” and “the need to bully people into spouting forth a political opinion even when they choose not to.”
“Maslany and her irate ilk could learn from entertainment figures like Dolly Parton, whose recent passing was marked by loving tributes from everyone across the political and media spectrum,” Scheiner said. “Parton quietly supported causes she believed in through private, personal actions. She never aired her politics on the public stage, because she wanted to entertain as many people as possible, not alienate a portion of her audience or encourage the ‘cancellation’ of those who disagreed with her.”
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Tatiana Maslany was one of several celebrities who called out a “genocide” in Gaza and has urged others to do the same. (Attila Husejnow/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“Maslany should just leave Selleck and Jordan alone, but much like any neighborhood Karen, she just can’t mind her own business,” he added.
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Maslany has been one of several celebrities who have been outspoken about political issues like Gaza, going so far as to condemn the Berlin Film Festival for its “silence” on the matter earlier this year.
Fox News Digital reached out to Jordan and Selleck’s representatives for comment but did not immediately hear back.