Stars like Chris Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, and former James Bond actor George Lazenby are tired of certain media outlets taking their words out of context or straight up making facts up. These actors publicly spoke out against the tabloids that slandered their name. Hopefully, these men set an example for tabloids looking to push a juicy story, regardless of if it’s true.
Hemsworth took the Daily Mail to task in December for running a story claiming the Thor: Ragnarok actor ordered a fleet of water trucks to his estate just to water his gardens. The actor lives in Australia, which is currently undergoing the worst drought and wildfire crisis the nation has ever endured. To waste water on something so trivial as a garden while other people lose their homes, belongings, and sometimes lives, to the fire is certainly a scandalous piece of news. Too bad it was absolutely untrue.
Hemsworth posted to his Instagram page to set the record straight, “Normally I wouldn’t respond to false articles like this but it bothers me a lot. The water truck was purely for drinking water because like everyone in the region who is not connected to town water we have run out of potable water due to the drought. NONE of my garden is fed by drinking water.” Good on Hemsworth for calling out this phony story. The gossip rag didn’t have an ounce of evidence to support their claims, but still chose to publish this dubious story.
Johnson has also butted heads with a publication over their truthfulness. The Daily Star reported the Jumanji: The Next Level star criticized the “snowflake generation.” During the supposed interview, Johnson said millennials “are looking for a reason to be offended” and “are actually putting us backwards.”
Johnson later posted a video to his Instagram page assuring fans that the article, and his alleged quotes, were made up. “The interview never took place. Never happened. Never said any of those words. Completely untrue. One hundred percent fabricated,” Johnson stated. According to him, it’s not a “real DJ interview” if he’s insulting groups of people, let alone entire generations. A classy way to clear the air.
Lazenby is the latest victim of The Daily Star. The James Bond actor was quoted in the outlet as saying modern men “have no balls” because “women have taken over.” The tabloid went on to supposedly quote Lazenby, “When I was born, my mother had to get permission to speak. And now the men have to.” A very offensive thing to say, taken out of context. The 80-year-old wrote a message on his Facebook page, distancing himself from the interview, writing, “For the record, I have never given a recent interview to the UK’s Daily Star or Daily Mail tabloids.”
Lazenby went on to say, “More importantly, as an 80-year-old man, I commented on changing societal attitudes. The misleading headline ignores my main point: it’s not a bad thing, just different.” After clearing his name, the Australian actor continued, “I hope I can be known as The Spy Who Loved #MeToo.” Though the publication got Lazenby’s words right, they twisted them to fit their salacious purpose. Celebrities are rightly tired of this behavior and more should follow the steps of these gentlemen.