Angelina Jolie has said she doesn’t “recognise” the United States at the moment.
The Oscar-winning star weighed-in on the current political climate during an appearance at the San Sebastián Film Festival, where she was asked what she fears as an artist and an American at the moment.
“It is a very difficult question,” she responded (via Variety). “I love my country, but at this time, I don’t recognise my country.
“I’ve always lived internationally, my family is international, my friends, my life… My worldview is equal, united, and international. Anything anywhere that divides or limits personal expressions and freedoms from anyone, I think, is very dangerous.”
Jolie admitted that “these are such serious times” and “we have to be careful not to say things casually”, adding: “These are very, very heavy times we are living in together.”
The comments come in the wake of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel’s show being pulled from the ABC Network, owned by Disney, following comments over the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk earlier this month, where the presenter suggested that signs pointed to the shooter being a Donald Trump supporter.
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“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterise this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” he said in a monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
The fallout from the decision has caused strong reactions from both sides of the political spectrum, with Trump celebrating the suspension and most recently hitting out at the backlash during a memorial service for Kirk.
Nearly all of Hollywood’s creative guilds have criticised the cancellation, with fellow late night stars Stephen Colbert and David Letterman supporting Kimmel and sharing concern over free speech, while comedian and podcaster Marc Maron called it “government censorship”.
U2 have also showed support for Kimmel, sharing an image from a 2017 appearance on the show and writing: “In support of the right to speak freely, from left to right, from good to bad to worse. From the not so great to the inspirational…and above all to laughter. Which is the evidence of freedom….”
Kimmel’s business and legal representatives have since been reported to be in talks with Disney and ABC executives about a compromise that would put the show back on air, though Variety reports there is no guarantee of a return or whether the presenter will accept ABC’s terms.
Meanwhile, John Cleese and Piers Morgan have clashed on social media over the cancellation of Kimmel’s show.
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