Actor and author Wil Wheaton did not hold back his frustration with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson this week, calling him a “coward” for choosing to remain politically neutral.
Johnson played coy when asked if he stayed quiet to maximize the audience for his films.
He leaned Democratic in 2020 when he supported Joe Biden, but later said he regretted his support.
Wil Wheaton tears through The Rock’s political silence
Star Trek actors George Takei and Wil Wheaton attack Dwayne Johnson for saying he wouldn’t speak out on politics.
George Takei on Threads: “Silence is complicity. »
Wil Wheaton in response: “So disappointing to find out he’s such a coward.”
Is this why no one respects… pic.twitter.com/Rn5A15sMLM
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been criticized by a Hollywood colleague for choosing to remain politically silent, even as the country descends deeper into political division.
In an impassioned social media post, Wil Wheaton called Johnson a “coward,” apparently saying that public figures have a moral obligation to take a stand on critical social and political issues.
“So disappointing to find out he’s such a coward,” Wheaton wrote on Threads Monday, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Wheaton’s criticism came in response to an article by George Takei citing Esquire’s recent interview with Johnson.
“Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s recent comments to Esquire about wanting to ‘keep my politics to myself’ have divided fans, with some calling for his silence,” Takei wrote on Threads.
In a later response, he added: “Silence is complicity. »
Dwayne Johnson says art is his ‘main thing’
Wheaton has remained a vocal critic of Trump and previously campaigned for Kamala Harris in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.
Unlike him, whose political position is known, Johnson is neither here nor there. In an interview with Esquire last month, he explained why he intentionally avoided the subject when asked if he was trying to maximize audiences for his films in this way.
“What I’ve learned from experience is that I have to keep – need, not want – the main thing, the essential. And the main thing for me, the thing that I swing my legs out of bed and run towards, is creating. It’s art. It’s telling a story,” he told the outlet.
Wheaton has remained a vocal critic of Trump and previously campaigned for Kamala Harris in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.
Johnson says he ‘hates’ politics
Johnson went further, explaining in the interview that he didn’t want his politics to distract from his work, but that he was always open to dialogue.
“I’ve learned that I’m going to keep my politics to myself,” he said. “There are times where, hey, there’s nothing we can’t talk about. If I’m wrong, I’ll tell you. Or if I feel like I’m ahead of the curve and this is the right path to take, I’ll share it with you.”
He continued: “Politics is omnipresent and eternal. I don’t like it. [Laughs.] I hate it sometimes. I hate the slingshot. I hate all the bullshit that comes with it.
He then addressed the reporter, who had touched on politics with a remark about Bruce Springsteen’s recent anti-Trump tour, saying it would be better if the two parties who disagree had a conversation rather than calling each other out.
Dwayne Johnson has vowed not to repeat his endorsement in 2020
Johnson leaned Democratic in 2020 when he publicly supported Joe Biden in the lead-up to the presidential election.
However, during a 2024 conversation with Fox News’ Will Cain, the “Black Adam” star expressed regret for his actions, noting that his support had caused significant division among his fans.
“The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was one that I thought was the best decision for me at that time…And I thought at the time, when we speak, ‘Hey, you know, I’m in this position where I have some influence, and it’s my job so…to exert my influence and share…this is who I’m going to support,'” he said at the time.
“Am I going to do that again this year? The answer is no, I’m not going to do that, because what I realized – what it caused at the time – was something that was heartbreaking to me, then and now, is division,” he added. “And that convinced me. After that, months and months and months, I started to realize, like, ‘Oh man, this has caused an incredible amount of division in our country.'”
Dwayne Johnson opened up about cancer fear
Outside of his political stance, Johnson has also had a difficult time with his health, as he opened up about a very painful cancer scare in his interview with Esquire.
He revealed that before “Jumanji: Open World” was released, he discovered a lump on one of his testicles while taking a shower.
“By the way: I’m fine,” he insisted. “But I didn’t know that at the time, and it was really painful.”
He added that he decided to keep it away from everyone and didn’t even tell his wife of almost two decades, Lauren Hashian.
“I didn’t want to worry her until I knew if it was something to be concerned about,” he said.
When he saw his doctor, he was told it could be epididymitis or a symptom of testicular cancer and was asked to have an ultrasound immediately.
“So I had to live with that for those 24 hours, without knowing it,” he recalled, later adding that he was “fine” now. “And I had to stay all day joking, making speeches.”