The Handmaid star Amanda Seyfried is standing firm on her comment about Charlie Kirk.
In a recent Who What Wear interview as a part of her press run for The Handmaid, Seyfried, who is currently garnering Oscar buzz for her role in The Testament of Ann Lee, said she refused to apologize for her comment about the late Turning Point USA co-founder and far-right pundit, who was fatally shot in the neck at a Utah university on Sept. 10.
“I’m not f**king apologizing for that,” the Emmy-winning actor said. “I mean, for f**k’s sake, I commented on one thing. I said something that was based on actual reality and actual footage and actual quotes. What I said was pretty damn factual, and I’m free to have an opinion, of course.”
She continued, “Thank God for Instagram. I was able to give some clarity, and it was about getting my voice back because I felt like it had been stolen and recontextualized — which is what people do, of course.”
What did Seyfried say about Kirk?
After Kirk’s death, Seyfried wrote on Instagram that “he was hateful,” prompting criticism from conservatives who accused her of celebrating the 31-year-old’s death. Friends and family sent her dozens of messages, concerned for her safety. She later addressed the online pushback in a Sept. 17 post on the platform.
“I don’t want to add fuel to a fire. I just want to be able to give clarity to something so irresponsibly (but understandably) taken out of context. Spirited discourse — isn’t that what we should be having?” Seyfried wrote in the post’s caption.
In the post, she shared a statement condemning both Kirk’s death and his controversial views.
“We’re forgetting the nuance of humanity,” she went on to mention. “I can get angry about misogyny and racist rhetoric and ALSO very much agree that Charlie Kirk’s murder was absolutely disturbing and deplorable in every way imaginable. No one should have to experience this level of violence. This country is grieving too many senseless and violent deaths and shootings. Can we agree on that at least?”
Seyfried remains engaged in political discourse
The actress has long been outspoken on political matters, particularly events spurred by “our gorgeous president,” she said sarcastically, calling him “tricky and harmful.”
“It seems ridiculous at times because people are marching the streets, and I’m not one of them — at least not today. I have to remember that I have nothing to apologize for unless I’m harming someone emotionally, physically, mentally,” she told the outlet.
“It’s getting so dark that I feel like I gotta just keep my head on and make sure that I get the train on time and promote my movies. A lot of people’s lives depend on that movie being promoted.”