Billy Bob Thornton is making it clear that celebrity activism is not something he embraces. In a recent appearance on the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast, the 70-year-old “Landman” star discussed why he avoids using his fame to promote political opinions or personal causes. Speaking alongside his “Landman” costar Sam Elliott in a broader conversation about the series and the lives of oil workers, Thornton explained that he does not see himself as qualified to lecture the public on political issues.
“I don’t know anything about politics,” Thornton said. “I have no idea. And the stuff that I do believe, I don’t want to force it down somebody else’s throat because I’m not an expert on that.”
Thornton also criticized the tendency for celebrities to turn award show speeches into political or social statements. “I’m not really big on like at awards shows all of a sudden you start talking about saving the badgers and stuff. Like Ricky Gervais said, you know, it’s like get your little award and f— off, you know?”
The comments echo sentiments Thornton previously shared during a November appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” where he reflected on modern award shows and celebrity culture.
At the time, Thornton said he no longer places much importance on awards, noting that he had already received plenty throughout his career and felt many came during a different era in Hollywood.
“I’ve won a couple recently,” he said. “But these days I just look at it as like, ‘Oh, OK, we’re gonna go over here and, you know, have some dry chicken breast and green beans, you know, and we’ll listen to people get up there and pontificate about how awesome they are.'”
Thornton reiterated that while activism has its place, he does not believe awards ceremonies are the appropriate setting for it.
“there’s a time and place for [activism]” and during award shows, “you should just stick to what it is.”
“Don’t go up there and talk about saving the badgers in Wisconsin or something, you know what I’m saying?” he said. “And people would argue and say, ‘Well, no, because I have a voice and because everybody knows me. This is a great platform for me to put this out there.'”
Thornton argued that wealthy celebrities who care deeply about causes should focus more on direct action than public speeches.
“Well, how about this? If you have a billion dollars, and you want to save the badgers, f—ing save them,” he added. “I mean, you got plenty of money to save the badgers, trust me. That is not, that’s barely gonna cut into your budget.”