'Shawshank Redemption' star Tim Robbins rips 'lack of freedom of assembly,' speech that COVID mandates brought

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Tim Robbins talks Hollywood 'slavery'

Robbins: Actors are afraid to speak out.

"The Shawshank Redemption" actor Tim Robbins held nothing back in a searing take down of government leaders that promoted COVID-19 lockdown policies in a recent interview.

The movie star claimed those who foisted the mandates upon citizens over the past three and a half years have contributed to a "lack of freedom of movement, lack of freedom of assembly," and a "lack of freedom of speech" in America.

Robbins also lamented that Americans seem to have just forgotten that their freedoms were curtailed, adding that if people don’t recall what the politicians did, "we’re gonna repeat it again. It’ll happen again."

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Tim Robbins attends the "Dark Waters" premiere at Walter Reade Theater in New York City on Nov. 12, 2019. (John Lamparski/WireImage)

Robbins made the comments while talking to Hollywood outlet Variety about his new Apple TV+ show, "Silo." The series is about a post-apocalyptic world with people living underground in silos.

According to the outlet, Robbins plays a silo leader who crushes any dissent or protest with swift violence.

The actor told Variety that some of the oppressive subject matter in the show was inspired by real-world events, namely the government crackdown over COVID-19. He began by stating, "I’ve always been curious about what goes on in leaders’ heads when they have to do something that is morally compromising for what they consider the greater good."

Robbins added, "I always look at that as a terrible no-win situation. And I often wonder if those measures that they take, that are immoral, are necessary." 

The heavy thoughts prompted the outlet to ask if he was thinking about anything specific. He responded, saying, "I’m talking about politicians that compromise themselves and make decisions that they believe are for the good of people, but those decisions involve censorship or lying or deception of some kind that leads to people getting hurt."

As Robbins continued, he became less cryptic: "And I wanted to play that guy, I want to deal with that moral complexity in trying to understand where the human being is. I think we’ve been through three and a half years of extraordinary and questionable choices made by people that are supposed to be leading their countries."

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Security enforces a lockdown at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., on Aug. 4, 2022. Police in Minnesota confirm that gunshots were fired at the Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis, but say no victim has been found. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP)

The interviewer then asked if Robbins was referring to pandemic lockdowns. He affirmed so, saying, "Yeah, I’m talking about that. I’m talking about a whole bunch of stuff, lack of freedom of movement, lack of freedom of assembly, lack of freedom of speech. You want to keep going?"

The actor did keep going, underscoring what he believes to be the significant chilling effect of COVID mandates on American freedom and rebuking people for trying to move on from it like it's not big deal.

Robbins said, "I mean, you know, something just happened, and I think there’s a tendency where people just want to move on and think, ‘Well, you know, it happened and let’s just move on.’ I think that’s really unwise. We have to deal with what happened in a deep and profound way, it’s traumatic for many people."

"And just ignoring it, as we know with trauma, does not solve a problem," he cautioned, adding, "In fact, it makes it worse. And so until we have the guts to look at what really happened and we question and maybe even hold people accountable for irresponsible leadership, if we don’t do that, we’re gonna repeat it again. It’ll happen again."

Robbins mentioned his own theater in Hollywood and voiced his concerns over losing the right to assemble there. He claimed, "I run a theater in Los Angeles — it is something that has always existed. Even in the worst, oppressive societies, there’s been assembly allowed. Sometimes those assemblies are monitored and so it’s not safe."

He added, "But supposedly, in a free society, one should be able to collectively gather with others."

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Robbins then noted the importance of such a right, stating, "The reason why that’s important to collectively gather with others is that becomes a forum. You don’t know that everyone in the same room as you agrees with you. So, therefore, it’s an essential part of living with other human beings. You have to work through differences."

"And instead we were separated and became more and more distanced from each other, and more and more angry with each other," he declared.

A man adjusts his American flag face mask on a street in Hollywood, California, on July 19, 2021. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)