To Speak or Not to Speak: Public Figures and Their Platforms

“If you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world.” This is a statement sarcastic comedian Ricky Gervais made while hosting the 2020 Golden Globe Awards. Gervais voices a sentiment of disdain that some have towards public figures who share their opinions and personal beliefs on a greater stage, often only nationally televised award shows and usually never at any other time. However, Gervais’ proclamation expresses a flawed metric of belief that actors and celebrities using their platforms is useless and inherently not powerful. 

The role of celebrities and public figures in our society has shifted over time as media has evolved. They’ve become more accessible to the public than ever before. A primary avenue for this is social media, as apps such as Twitter and Instagram can be leveraged to communicate their thoughts and share moments of their lives, for example, the difficulties of childbirth and motherhood. Some celebrities have even created Youtube channels (e.g. Actress Shay Mitchell) or Podcasts (e.g. Model Ashley Graham’s “Pretty Big Deal”) in order to provide deeper insight into their personal lives and perspectives. There are even blogs and lifestyle brands, like actress Gwyneth Paltrow’s “Goop” that provide mass audiences with a look into celebs’ day-to-day lifestyle routines. All of these are examples of the ways in which they maintain influence over their followers and the fabric of society as a whole.

Public figures, ranging from musicians to politicians and athletes are some of the most influential people alive today—the types of individuals you’ll see on the Time 100 list. These public figures have the attention of the world in their different domains of expertise, and thus, elevated and large platforms. A lot of people look up to those in the public eye and see them as role models or inspirations. They have the power of significant influence and social capital. As Uncle Ben infamously states in the “Spiderman” series, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” Public figures have a responsibility or speak up and utilize their platforms for good, for change. 

During the 2020 award season, actor Joaquin Phoenix completely swept the “Best Actor” category, winning numerous major awards including a Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Academy Award for his role as the titular character in the film “Joker.” Typically award show speeches are directed towards thanking family, friends, agents and whoever else has helped them with their cinematic success. But, Phoenix opted for a different path. One might wonder, after winning so many awards, whether or not someone might run out of things to say in their speeches. After all, what more is there to say besides the expected “thank you”? Phoenix took his wins in stride, using each award show as an opportunity to speak to varying social issues, such as internet cancel culture, combatting the lack of diversity in Hollywood through allyship and inclusion, and climate change and the benefits of pursuing a plant-based diet.

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio has long been an outspoken advocate for environmental conservation and addressing climate change, even using his 2016 “Best Actor” Academy Award speech, for his role in “The Revenant”, to engender support for the issue. Even at the most recent Golden Globes ceremony, several other award-winners used their speeches to make political statements. In his absence, Russell Crowe made a bold proclamation about the “climate-based tragedy” of Australian Bushfires, while Michelle Williams used her speech to advocate for a  woman’s right to choose, and Patricia Arquette urged citizens of the United States to vote in the upcoming 2020 election for change. While these decisions are powerful and decisive in their essence, they entertain the risk of using a nationally televised event as a platform to voice one’s political thoughts and beliefs. 

This phenomenon is often disputed and discussed in regards to actors; however, it also extends past the realm of television and film and into equally popular ones, like sports. In 2018, “Shut up and dribble,” is what Fox News host Laura Ingraham said to basketball star LeBron James in response to an interview where he discussed his political views and discontent with President Trump. With Ingraham’s statement comes the insinuation that because of his career as a basketball player, James’ voice and thoughts on politics are invalid. 

What Ingraham’s comment did was spur James to further use his platform to create the pithily titled, “Shut Up And Dribble,” a Showtime documentary series providing insight into the changing role of black athletes in today's cultural and political sphere. While innovative, this intersection of athleticism, politics, and activism is not something new. Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ iconic Black power salute at the 1968 Olympic games is an image viscerally engrained in history. Even in more recent history, former NFL player Colin Kaepernick’s “Take A Knee” movement against racial discrimination took the nation and world by storm.

Many stars, such as television hosts Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, are known for using their wealth to invest in charity and philanthropic efforts along with wearing several other hats. All the while, why are we so quick to put people in a box, so eager to categorize them and place them under a fixed label to conform to? We each occupy multiple roles during our lifetimes and possess varied strengths, interests, and beliefs.

We are currently living in the age of the “artivist”—the intersection of the arts and activism. We’re finally starting to realize that the rigid labels that we place on ourselves do little other than limit us. No one is ever just an actor, athlete, and so on. We are all multi-faceted individuals with something to say, and if people have the privilege of a platform to mobilize change then they should be able to, sans criticism and question. Whether it’s encouraging people to vote on Instagram or disrupting awards show norms to address climate change, that “great power” and responsibility that public figures possess has the power to make waves.