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Woody Harrelson railed against COVID protocols on movie sets during a new interview with The New York Times. The actor is making the press rounds in support of his new movie “Champions,” an indie sports drama from director Bobby Farrelly and backed by Focus Features. Harrelson expressed uncertainty about the future of indie films given “all the existing COVID protocols”, calling such protocols “absurd”.
“What is absurd about the Covid protocols?” The New York Times asked Harrelson.
“The fact that they are still at it!” replied the actor. “I don’t think anyone should have the right to demand that you be forced to test, forced to wear the mask and forced to get vaccinated three years later. I’m like, let’s be done with this bullshit. It’s not fair to the crews. I don’t have to wear the mask. Why would they? Why should they be vaccinated? Why isn’t it up to the individual? I shouldn’t be talking about this [expletive].”
“It makes me angry with the crew,” Harrelson continued. “The anarchist part of me, I don’t feel we should have forced testing, forced masking and forced vaccination. That is not a free country. I’m really talking about the crew. Because I can come without a mask. I can test less. I’m not in the same position as her, but it’s wrong. It’s three years. Stop.
“As an anarchist, I don’t handle mandates very well,” he concluded.
Harrelson’s New York Times interview was published shortly before he hosted “Saturday Night Live” on Feb. 25. The actor sparked controversy for his opening monologue, which led to a polarizing COVID conspiracy joke. Harrelson spent most of his monologue touting the “craziest script” he had ever read.
“So the movie goes like this,” Harrelson explained at the climax of the monologue. “The biggest drug cartels in the world are coming together and buying up all the media and all the politicians and forcing all the people of the world to stay locked up in their homes. And people can only come out if they take the cartel’s drugs and keep using them over and over again.”
“I threw out the script,” Harrelson added. “I mean, who would believe that crazy idea? Being forced to use drugs? I do that voluntarily all day.”
It’s not hard to see Harrelson making a comment about COVID vaccine mandates, which he went on to rant more directly in his New York Times interview. The actor’s latest film, ‘Champions’, will hit theaters on March 10.