‘Office’ star Rainn Wilson: Actors will 'estrange' themselves from Hollywood ‘cool kids’ if they mention God
Wilson said that the Hollywood 'cool kids' all put on an act and pretend they are 'alienated outcasts'
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"The Office" actor Rainn Wilson has again criticized Hollywood's aversion to the Christian faith during a recent festival where he claimed discussions of God could hinder the careers of actors and comedians.
"Here's the catch: In comedy circles in Hollywood, the cool kids all pretend they're nerds and losers and alienated outcasts," Wilson said at the Just for Laughs comedy festival.
"But really, that's just an act. And there's no greater way to estrange yourself even further from the apex of the comedy industry as when you discuss God, the soul and spirituality," he added.
Wilson went on to suggest that everyone in the world of comedy is "quite literally manifestations" of Dukkha, a Buddhist term that he translated to mean "anxious discontent."
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Actor Rainn Wilson poses at the premiere for the documentary "Jane" in Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 9, 2017. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)
"However, it must be said you are also familiar with this idea if you work in insurance, solar panel sales, Uber driving, agriculture, or the manicure and pedicure industry, because Duḥkka is everywhere these days," Wilson said, arguing that nearly everyone in modern society is wired to feel sorry, suffering and unhappiness in their own lives.
However, Wilson refuted the idea that negative energy should be entirely removed from people's lives to live positively and thrive.
"This isn't helpful or true. It's why psychotic comedians and comic actors continue to mine the depths of our pain, so we can create laughter for service, for medicine, to relieve suffering and to counteract pain," he said.
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Cast member and producer Rainn Wilson gestures during the panel for Fox's "Backstrom" at the Television Critics Association (TCA) Winter 2015 presentations in Pasadena, California January 17, 2015. ( REUTERS/Kevork Djansezian)
Last month, Wilson spoke about the need for a spiritual revolution in the modern world and his struggles navigating a Hollywood culture critical of people of faith.
During an appearance on the "No Small Endeavor" podcast, Wilson spoke about comedians' obsession with trying to fit in and how talking about religion and spirituality could remove you from the cool kid's table.
"Comedians will call themselves nerds and say, 'Oh, I'm so uncool, I'm so uncool.' But it's this weird thing. It's like, Hollywood is about who's sitting at the cool kids' lunch table," he said.
Rainn Wilson arrives for a gala presentation of Blackbird at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada September 6, 2019. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)
Wilson also noted how he has been discussing faith for a "good 12 years," noting, "Frankly, I think it freaks people out. I think that most of Hollywood, especially comedians in Hollywood, talking about God is the uncoolest thing you can ever possibly do."
Wilson admitted that while he doesn't have any "smoking guns" or emails confirming the shunning of religion in Hollywood, he can "sense a collective eye roll about it."
"It certainly doesn't help my career. I'm not doing any, any of this for any self-promotion or, or career," he added.
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In March, the actor made headlines when he called out "anti-Christian bias" in the entertainment industry.
"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," he tweeted. "Could there be a Bible-reading preacher on a show who is actually loving and kind?"
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Fox News' Alexander Hall contributed to this report.
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