Now more than ever, celebrities are using their fame to share their political views and educate their fans on the causes and issues that they believe are important to them. So it would not be outside the realm of possibility to see more Hollywood personalities run for office following Arnold Schwarzenegger being California’s governor back in the early '00s and Ronald Reagan’s presidency in the ‘80s, to name a few examples. A couple actors who have been in the ring as of late are Dwayne Johnson and Matthew McConaughey.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been discussing perhaps running for President of the United States for a few years, and Matthew McConaughey said he has placed the idea of running for office in Texas under “true consideration.” But what do the people think? Per a recent poll conducted by Pipslay, just over half of respondents would support the actors becoming politicians.
58% of the 30,138 Americans polled in the survey shared their support for Matthew McConaughey and Dwayne Johnson in political roles, whilst 63% believed that Hollywood stars can make good politicians “with the right attitude and support staff.” Those polled also threw in Angelina Jolie and Tom Hanks in the running for their choices for other celebrities they may vote for in a presidential election.
Back in February, Dwayne Johnson’s TV series Young Rock, which is based on his early life, mentioned aspirations for the bodybuilder and box office winning actor to become president. The Jumanji actor said this at the time:
I would consider a presidential run in the future if that's what the people wanted. Truly I mean that, and I'm not flippant in any way with my answer. That would be up to the people...So I would wait, and I would listen. I would have my finger on the pulse, my ear to the ground.
Dwayne Johnson has certainly shown great ambition over the years from his time at WWE to his current status as a producer and lead of a number of major franchises. The 48-year-old actor is currently in serious shape to begin production on the DCEU’s Black Adam. In regards to Matthew McConaughey, the 51-year-old had this to say back in November about running for office in Texas:
I don’t know. I mean, that wouldn’t be up to me. It would be up to the people more than it would me. I would say this. Look, politics seems to be a broken business to me right now. And when politics redefines its purpose, I could be a hell of a lot more interested.
In the same survey, 81% also felt that celebrity endorsements can influence public opinion. Aside from Dwayne Johnson and Matthew McConaughey, 22% were on the side of Tom Hanks running, 21% would vote for Will Smith and 17% would swing in George Clooney’s favor. Among women, Angelina Jolie nabbed 30% of the opinion and Oprah Winfrey took 27%.
Actors like The Gentlemen star definitely build up a public image over years in their careers, and as fans we feel like we know them, sometimes a lot more than the neighboring politicians who run year after year. So it’s no surprise over half of those surveyed are interested in the idea.
