Hollywood Has an ‘Anti-Christian bias,’ Actor Rainn Wilson Says after Watching The Last of Us
An Emmy-nominated actor best known for his role in NBC’s The Office says he believes there is an “anti-Christian bias” in Hollywood and that it can be seen in a new HBO hit series.
Rainn Wilson, who portrayed the quirky Dwight Schrute in The Office and recently starred in the Paramount Plus movie Jerry and Marge Go Large, made the comments in a Tweet that quickly sparked an online debate with more than 5,000 comments and 44,000 likes.
“I do think there is an anti-Christian bias in Hollywood,” Wilson wrote. “As soon as the David character in The Last of Us started reading from the Bible, I knew that he was going to be a horrific villain. Could there be a Bible-reading preacher on a show who is actually loving and kind?”
I do think there is an anti-Christian bias in Hollywood. As soon as the David character in “The Last of Us”
started reading from the Bible I knew that he was going to be a horrific villain. Could there be a Bible-reading preacher on a show who is actually loving and kind?— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) March 11, 2023
HBO’s apocalyptic series The Last of Us tells the story of a society mostly destroyed by a pandemic. David, the character referenced by Wilson, is a pastor-turned-cannibal.
Most people who commented on Wilson’s tweet posted words of agreement. Some offered answers to his question, although many of the suggestions were from decades-old titles.
“The pastor on Little House on the Prairie,” one person wrote.
“Mel Gibson’s character in Signs is a standout Christian having a crisis of faith which ultimately leads him closer to God and saves his whole family,” another person wrote.
“Does Seventh Heaven count? That was generally positive,” one person wrote. “The minister in the Netflix show Sweet Magnolias is a respected character. But yeah, it’s usually the other direction.”
“Book of Eli,” another person wrote. “A man of true faith is miraculously strong because of his faith, which becomes contagious and saves many from oppression. This is the only movie I can think of where the protagonist is strong because he’s Christian and where it isn’t part of a major flaw.”
“The show Evil is legit respectful. I’ve been a stand-in on the show since season 1 and can confirm,” someone wrote. “They have actual priests on the set often as technical advisors, for instance, when doing exorcism scenes.”
“We’ve been saying this for thirty years. It’s nothing new,” still another person wrote. “But nice to see people getting up to speed on the reality.”
In a series of follow-up tweets, Wilson noted that he’s not a Christian – he’s a practicing Baha’i – and disagrees with many evangelicals on politics. He added, “most Christians that I know are kind, accepting and loving and seeking to make the world a better place.”
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Alberto E. Rodriguez/Stringer
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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