Hellboy’s Ian McShane: “When Asked About Race, White People Should Shut The F*** Up”

In a wide-ranging interview, Hellboy, John Wick, and American Gods actor Ian McShane said “white people should shut the f*** up” when they are asked about race.

In an interview with The Telegraph, McShane torches the Academy Awards, discusses the push for “inclusivity” in Hollywood, blasts Game of Thrones fans, and touches on how white people should react when it comes to discussing race.

McShane began the interview by clearly stating he did not watch the Oscars, “Good God no! It’s on too late.” He would go on to torch the awards show saying, “Anyway the Oscars are nearly as bad as the Baftas – that was a crapshow this year, wasn’t it? I watched the first two minutes and thought, ‘No!’”

He roasts a number of the movies and actors up for awards. He starts with [easyazon_link identifier=”B07KFSXLM9″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Green Book[/easyazon_link] calling it “just a middle-of-the-road Driving Miss Daisy in reverse.”

As for Rami Malek’s portrayal of Freddie Mercury in [easyazon_link identifier=”B07MXNHQGR” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Bohemian Rhapsody[/easyazon_link], McShane states, “If you have an award for playing a tragic, gay pop singer, then give it to him.”

He does praise Olivia Colman, “Olivia gives great cry in the best way – she’s got a girlishness that reminds me of Judi Dench, and she’s a nice person.”

However, he describes [easyazon_link identifier=”B07HSKMMXV” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]The Favourite[/easyazon_link], the film Colman appeared in as “overrated.” “The women in it were all fabulous but the film was overrated. And that director [Yorgos Lanthimos]? A bit emperor’s new clothes.”

He even described Glenn Close’s The Wife as “not a good movie. [Close] is all right in it, but even  if she’s been nominated seven times, why should it be…her turn?”

McShane didn’t hold back his criticism for the people who vote in the Oscars, “Half the people who vote shouldn’t be allowed to.” He adds, “They’ve probably done half a day’s Screen Actors’ Guild work in their lives and now they’ve got a card. It’s the same with Bafta, they’ve still got that middle-class attitude and always go for the safe vote.”

McShane would then touch on his past comments about [easyazon_link identifier=”B01CU6SSQ4″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Game of Thrones[/easyazon_link] where he described the show as “only tits and dragons.” Following the typical fan outrage, McShane told them they “should get a f****** life.”

McShane states, “I couldn’t believe that reaction!” He concludes, “But that’s the problem when you have these cult-like supporters.”

As for Hollywood’s new push for “inclusiveness,” McShane is as blunt as ever taking the #MeToo movement to task:

“There can be no proper discussion of race and gender any more. You can’t say anything. The pendulum of the #MeToo movement’s swung too far. Jeffrey Tambor was sacked from Transparent because it all became so political.”

That’s when McShane would state, “When asked about race, white people should shut the f— up. What are they supposed to say? You just have to zip it.”

It’s unclear what exactly McShane meant by this comment. Given the context of the rest of the interview, it’s safe to say he’s referring to the state of current sociopolitics where a discussion of race can get you in trouble, and in some cases fired from your job or even arrested. Megyn Kelly was famously fired by NBC after discussing black face. British activist Tommy Robinson was also allegedly arrested “for reportedly filming Islamic members of an alleged child grooming gang going into court for trial.”

It appears McShane is advising “white people” to simply not discuss race due to the potential consequences.

He would then go on to praise the current state of TV, but also offered some criticism for certain dramas.

“It’s a brave new world, a kind of golden age for TV. I mean obviously there’s some crap but that seems to get relegated to terrestrial television, where dramas are really the same show every week with a twist.”

Ian McShane will appear as Wednesday in the next season of American Gods. He will also take on the role of Professoor Bruttenholm in Hellboy. He will reprise his role as Winston in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, and will return to his character of Al Swearengen in an upcoming Deadwood TV movie.

What do you make of Ian McShane’s comments? Do you think he is lamenting political correctness and the consequences that come with breaking it in both the United States and the United Kingdom?

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