<\/p>\n
\n\tJosh Duhamel<\/a> appeared on a recent episode of Megyn Kelly<\/a>\u2018s podcast (via Entertainment Weekly<\/a>) and shared his opinion that actors should stay silent on politics. <\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI have real strong opinions about things but I don\u2019t really talk about it because it\u2019s like, \u2018Why would I alienate half my audience?\u2019 Because I respect their views on things but I\u2019m not going to preach to them,\u201d Duhamel said. \u201cThey can believe what they want to believe. I\u2019m just here to, you know, make cool stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWhen Kelly noted there is a \u201cgrowing trend\u201d of Hollywood celebrities deciding not to speak out on political issues, the \u201cRansom Canyon\u201d actor said \u201cit makes perfect sense\u201d because personal views need to be kept out of work.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIf you really want to be successful in this business, why would you make half of your audience despise you by your beliefs? Maybe they don\u2019t care. I don\u2019t know,\u201d Duhamel said. \u201cI mean, I look at it as a business decision, you know? I\u2019m here just to make cool movies, cool TV. I\u2019m here to make cool stuff. I\u2019m the court jester, you know? If I want to preach to you about what I believe politically, I will go run for office, which I\u2019m not [going to do].\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tJennifer Lawrence<\/a> made headlines last fall<\/a> for saying she\u2019s no longer sure if she should speak out against politics during press tours. The Oscar winner was outspoken against\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0during his first administration as U.S. president, notably\u00a0writing an op-ed\u00a0<\/a>after Election Day in which she declared that Trump\u2019s victory meant \u201cthe only people that feel safe [in America], that their rights are recognized and respected, are white men.\u201d But when asked last November on \u201cThe Interview\u201d podcast about her thoughts on speaking out now regarding Trump and politics, Lawrence answered: \u201cI don\u2019t really know if I should.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe first Trump administration was so wild and just how can we let this stand? I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off,\u201d Lawrence added. \u201cBut as we\u2019ve learned, election after election, celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for. So then what am I doing? I\u2019m just sharing my opinion on something that\u2019s going to add fuel to a fire that\u2019s ripping the country apart. We are so divided.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI think I\u2019m in a complicated recalibration because I\u2019m also an artist. With this temperature and the way things can turn out, I don\u2019t want to start turning people off to films and to art that could change consciousness or change the world because they don\u2019t like my political opinions. I want to protect my craft so that you can still get lost in what I\u2019m doing\u2026 You watch these actors\u2019 faces who have had incredible careers and made incredible contributions and then one half of the internet doesn\u2019t want to see their face anymore. I get so upset for those people and it feels so wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tOne person who would agree with Lawrence that \u201ccelebrities do not make a difference whatsoever\u201d in U.S. elections is HBO\u2019s \u201cReal Time\u201d host Bill Maher, who bluntly told the California Post<\/a>\u00a0in January that Hollywood celebrities need to \u201cshut the fuck up\u201d when it comes to politics if the Democratic party wants to have even a shot at reclaiming the White House in future elections.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHollywood [is] sort of the epicenter of the woke left. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re doing the Democratic Party any favors,\u201d Maher said. \u201cI think if Democrats want to win elections in the future, job one, tell the celebrities to \u2018Just shut the fuck up. You\u2019re not helping. You don\u2019t strike people in most of the country as sensible or in touch with reality.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWatch Duhamel\u2019s interview on Kelly\u2019s podcast in the video below.<\/p>\n