Tilda Swinton said she will not follow lingering COVID-19 protocols.
The Academy Award-winning actor expressed her intentions while speaking at SXSW, saying she was happy the Austin, Texas, crowd was not masked.
"I'm about to shoot a picture in Ireland, and I was told to wear a mask at all times, and I'm not," Swinton told the crowd, according to Variety.
"I'm sure this is being recorded," she said, adding she was "very healthy" after having gone through multiple COVID-19 infections.
Swinton previously opened up about her struggles with COVID-19 and its lingering symptoms including memory loss, which impacted her work.
"I did two films that I had to learn a lot of text for," W magazine in 2022. "I'm normally quite quick at studying and picking stuff up, but this was like chewing a really big piece of gum. I couldn't remember my lines."
Several prominent Hollywood figures have criticized COVID-19 protocols. Recently, Woody Harrelson made headlines after he mocked lockdowns and vaccines. And last month "The Nanny" star Fran Drescher used her platform as president of the Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) to call for Hollywood to end its "bulls**t" COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
"As the nation declares an end to the COVID emergency this May, I hope we will see everyone return to work in equal opportunity," Drescher, 65, said in a speech at the 2023 SAG Awards, according to the New York Post.
The industry's pandemic protocols were originally set to expire Jan. 31, but will now expire April 1.
"Our industry brings billions of production dollars to states across the nation, but if they want our business, let's wield our financial influence to make governors act in the best interest of freedom, diversity, inclusion, and democracy," Drescher said during her speech. "As my character Bobbi Flekman said in 'This Is Spinal Tap' — money talks and bulls**t walks!"
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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