Woody Harrelson rages against ‘nonsense’ Covid protocols on sets: ‘That’s not a free country’

‘I don’t feel that we should have forced testing, forced masking and forced vaccination,’ Harrelson said

Woody Harrelson bemoaned the continued use of Covid protocols on film sets days after facing criticism for making an anti-vax joke on Saturday Night Live.

During his opening monologue on the show, Harrelson joked about the “craziest script” he’s ever read.

The long-winded punchline ultimately implied that mandatory vaccines were “crazy”: “I mean, who was going to believe that crazy [script]? Being forced to do drugs?”

In a New York Times interview published on Monday (27 February), the Triangle of Sadness star called Covid protocols “rather absurd”.

Asked what was “absurd” about the protocols, Harrelson replied: “The fact that they’re still going on!

“I don’t think that anybody should have the right to demand that you’re forced to do the testing, forced to wear the mask and forced to get vaccinated three years on.”

Woody Harrelson on SNL (NBC)

Harrelson added that he didn’t think mask-wearing was “fair” on film crews. “I don’t have to wear the mask. Why should they? Why should they have to be vaccinated? How’s that not up to the individual?” He asked.

“I shouldn’t be talking about this [expletive]. It makes me angry for the crew. The anarchist part of me, I don’t feel that we should have forced testing, forced masking and forced vaccination. That’s not a free country... It’s [been] three years. Stop.”

Harrelson has a history of public activism, predominantly campaigning for environmental causes. In 1996, he was arrested for climbing the Golden Gate Bridge and unfurling a banner that protested the Pacific Lumber Company’s ownership of old-growth land.

While the actor faced widespread disapproval for his comments on SNL, Twitter owner Elon Musk, praised him for his words. “So based. Nice work,” he wrote. “Based” is slang for being unafraid to be yourself and say what you think.

Harrelson has criticised Covid protocols in the past. In an interview with Vanity Fair last year, he said of mask-wearing: “As one who doesn’t believe in the germ theory, I find it rather absurd.”

He also shared a since-deleted Instagram post that linked 5G and Covid, calling it “very interesting”.