Health
Why Robert De Niro Just Pulled An ‘Anti-Vax’ Film From The Tribeca Film Festival
Celebrities tend to be very careful when it comes to voicing their opinion on controversial topics. And this caution is understandable — one wrong word to the wrong person can spell the end of a career, as can being labelled a quack for holding fringe beliefs.
Yet the simple fact of celebrity means that their words have the potential to be heard by the entire world, and this power can be used for good or for ill. They really do have the power to influence people’s thoughts, which is a frightening thought.
Most of the time, celebrities are paid to push ideologies and sell products; they paint a picture of how one should strive to be, look, and act, to make us feel as if we weren’t good enough just the way we are. All of this is meant to make us buy things, of course. That is what makes it so refreshing to see celebrities use their influence to raise awareness about important and even controversial topics.
Some of the latest examples include Roseanne Bar, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Brand, Lady Gaga, and Jim Carey. In fact, it wasn’t long ago when Jim Carey slammed mandatory vaccinations for children enrolled in Californian public schools.
This time, it’s actor Robert De Niro who is taking a stand and lending his star power to an important issue, choosing to defend a film detailing the ‘other side’ of the vaccine debate.
A documentary which explores the possible harmful health outcomes of vaccines, titled Vaxxed: From Cover-up to Catastrophe, was set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival this April despite severe public backlash. De Niro has defended his decision to include the film with the following statement: