Goldie Hawn isn’t happy with the way the entertainment industry is bowing down to extremists who she claims are waging a “culture war.” The veteran actress wished things were the way they “used to be,” and she chastised cancel culture for ruining the state of comedy.
Goldie Hawn decided it was time to speak out against what she called a “culture war.” The Oscar winner broke ranks with many in the Hollywood crowd who support cancel culture, which Hawn claims is ruining not only entertainment but more importantly adversely affecting our kids in schools.
“I think that it’s important to stand vigilant on people’s behavior and really understand when they’re out of line and be able to handle it,” Hawn told Variety. “But I’m concerned about these areas: Suddenly you don’t have a job. Suddenly you can’t date a woman within the business or you’re going to get fired,” she added.
“They’re canceling books – classic books that no one can read. I don’t like that,” Hawn said. “There’s mistrust everywhere. So not only is there cancel culture, but there are culture wars. Schools are being politicized. But for the greater good of our children? No one’s really looking at that.”
“There’s a disruption now. Disruptions are good. But imbalance isn’t,” Hawn continued. “I hope to get back to some level of sensibility and fairness. So ‘cancel culture.’ The word itself scares me more than anything. It’s rigid, concretized thinking, which is not good. It’s got double edges on it. And who has the right to cancel?”
Not stopping there, Hawn went on to say that she believes this extremism is a symptom of a much bigger issue. “The level of sensitivity is so high that comedians are afraid to tell certain jokes the way they used to,” she explained. “And it’s a bit of a quandary for comedians; there are things you can’t say and so on and so forth. I mean, it’s fine. There are certain areas that I agree with. But the level of sensitivity is unforgiving. That’s not a good feeling when you’re in a creative mode.”
Hawn harkened back to how things “used to be” and lamented how award shows like the Oscars have become politicized. “It used to be elegant,” she declared. “I’m not old-fashioned, but sometimes jokes are off-color. And I’m missing reverence. Things have become politicized. I want to see people in awe. I want to see people believing again. I want to see people laughing more in a way that isn’t just at someone else’s expense.”
On top of that, Hawn misses the glamorous “movie stars” that used to inhabit Hollywood. “Where are they?” she asked. “The old-fashioned movie star creates excitement. We used to be able to say, ‘I’m gonna take a break because I think I’m overexposed.’ A lot of these people that are coming up are making more money than anybody ever made as an actor, but they’re not known.”
Hawn also addressed the infamous Oscars slap that occurred when Will Smith attacked Chris Rock. “It’s indicative of our culture right now,” she said of the incident. “I mean, you could look at it and say, ‘What the hell just happened?’ Somebody lost control. They lost their self-regulation. Their bigger brain wasn’t thinking, and they did something that was horrendous and also showed no remorse. That, to me, is a microcosm oftentimes of our world.”
Goldie Hawn openly praised how Chris Rock handled the moment. “Chris was brilliant – totally held on to and controlled his emotions, was able to stand with dignity,” she added. “That’s an example of what we would like our world to look like. But, unfortunately, it isn’t right now.”
Hawn has been in a relationship with her partner Kurt Russell since Valentine’s Day 1983. Russell has been very vocal about his own political views. The Tango & Cash star went on the record as a “hardcore libertarian” who believes celebrities shouldn’t lecture Americans about politics. “I believe in limited Constitutional government, free market capitalism, reach for the brass ring,” he said. “There’s this place where you can go do that and don’t step on anybody’s toes and still try to reach for the brass ring.”
