Alex Kingston could be “canceled” tomorrow, but he might not realize it right away.
You won’t find the veteran actress on X, the outlet formerly known as Twitter, or other popular platforms. And she likes it that way.
She likes the thinking behind Cancel Culture much less.
She addressed the issue during her press tour for the British drama “Douglas Is Cancelled.” The four-part comedy-drama follows a middle-aged host (Hugh Bonneville) whose off-color joke at a wedding reception backfires on him.
Douglas is canceled 🎬🚨
Tune in to Steven Moffat’s latest comedy-drama, starring Karen Gillan and Hugh Bonneville, starting June 27 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX. #DouglasIsCancelled pic.twitter.com/Om1qmP15yi
-ITV (@ITV) June 13, 2024
Kingston told The Telegraph why she hates the woke revolution, going beyond superficial disagreements. For her, the woke movement is nothing less than “terrifying.”
“A bit fascist, actually. “I don’t think people realize how dangerous it is to cancel people, what that has meant historically.”
The impact on her peer group is unmistakable, says Kingston, who played River Song on the TV show “Doctor Who.”
“My generation is stepping on eggshells, not knowing if what you say will unintentionally hurt someone. For example, pronouns confuse me a lot. I’m just not sure how and when to use them. There is no empathy or sympathy, the opinions are immediate and black and white. I hope we start to get back to a place where people can be kinder to each other, both in thinking about what they are going to say and in listening to what is being said.”
Politically incorrect, right?
Kingston also lashed out at the notion that only certain actors can play certain roles.
She’s even less enamored of the colorblind casting that makes some audiences shake their heads. Yes, the enthusiastic diversity of “Hamilton” struck a powerful note about the country’s roots, but in other projects that process doesn’t make sense, she argues.
Furthermore, insisting that only select actors play select roles goes against their profession.
“People should be allowed to explore roles that they wouldn’t have been able to explore before and they should also not be deprived of roles or even writing roles because they don’t really physically apply to them.”
She’s not the only star to take that stance.
Stanley Tucci, who played a gay man in “supernova” defended his ability as a heterosexual man to take the role.
“I think acting is about not being yourself. If we used that as a model, then we would only play ourselves. “I think what we need to do is give opportunities to more gay actors.”
However, Tom Hanks has suggested that He shouldn’t have starred in “Philadelphia” the 1993 film about a gay man’s battle with AIDS. Hanks still has not returned the Oscar he won for his performance.