Trending Now: Mark Ruffalo slams Trump for his ‘crackdown’ on free speech in entertainment industry – Fans React

Speaking exclusively to the Mirror US, actor Mark Ruffalo spoke about how Trump has affected the entertainment world, referencing CBS, Jimmy Kimmel, and Stephen Colbert

Multiple Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo has insisted that Hollywood stars must never be silenced when it comes to speaking out against Donald Trump or any government.

Ruffalo vowed to speak up publicly against policies from the White House because “throughout time, the artists have been the voices of the truth.” The Marvel star is proud to have grown up a “social activist” alongside many artists vowing to speak up against inequality and supporting the oppressed.

The actor spoke as he organized a special benefit for The Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre, where major stars read the screenplay for All The President’s Men, benefiting the Academy’s foundation. He drew parallels between the actions of disgraced Richard Nixon, who resigned as POTUS in 1974, and Trump as he reflected on the iconic movie screenplay by William Goldman, based on the book by Washington Post writers Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

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Ruffalo described Trump’s vocal attacks on the media and attempts at censorship on networks like CBS as “a scary time for journalism.”

For over a decade, Trump has publicly verbally attacked Hollywood A-listers, commentators, hosts, and journalists who’ve criticized him. Speaking on camera exclusively to the Mirror US, Ruffalo admitted, “I come from a tradition of actors who always were kind of social activists.”

“I come from the group theater. They started the cabbie strike movement here in the United States. They were talking about inequality,” he continued.

The 58-year-old expressed his fears about freedom of speech, especially for the media. “One of the most troubling things that happened was when the owners of the L.A. Times and the Washington Post weighed in to kill any presidential endorsements,” he said.

“That was the beginning of a really scary time for journalism here in the U.S. and it’s only gotten worse with the pressure from the FCC on people like Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert,” Ruffalo continued.

Ruffalo then called out the current CBS News Editor-in-Chief, Bari Weiss, who pulled a 60 Minutes segment on allegations of abuses at an El Salvador detention center.

“We see this monopolization of our newsrooms happening, and we’re also seeing a kind of crackdown on freedom of speech within the entertainment industry,” he said. “So we felt that All The President’s Men is kind of the bellwether of great journalism and a real anecdote to what’s happening today.

“If they didn’t have freedom and they didn’t have courage, this country would be very different. Nixon would have rolled on and probably done much worse things,” Ruffalo said. “So we think it’s really important to tell the story again today.

“And where filmmaking and journalism meet is such a powerful nexus. Yes, the Watergate stories were so important on their own, but when you added All The President’s Men with it, you educated the whole nation, you educated the world.”

Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke led the extraordinary cast in the roles of Woodward and Bernstein at the Harmony Gold Theater in Los Angeles.

They were joined by Amy Brenneman (The Bookkeeper), Don Cheadle (Ben Bradlee), Kaley Cuoco (Debbie Sloan, Kay Eddy), Laurence Fishburne (Deep Throat), Spencer Garrett (Harvey Rosenfeld), Rob Morrow (Howard Simons), Tom Pelphrey (Hugh Sloan, Barker, National Editor) and Missy Yager.

“It’s not lost on us how journalism is under attack,” Ruffalo said. “And tonight was a night to celebrate where journalism and our business meet.”

Founded in 1985 by Stella Adler, Joanne Linville, and Irene Gilbert, the Stella Adler Academy is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to developing artists as both performers and engaged citizens. Nearly half of all students attending receive scholarships, with proceeds from this event directly funding the Academy’s scholarship program, ensuring world-class training remains accessible to artists from all backgrounds.

Ruffalo, a longtime supporter and Board Member of the Academy, personally assembled the cast in support of the Stella Adler Academy Foundation, which raises vital funds for student scholarships, professional training, community workshops, and arts education initiatives.