Jonah Hill Talks Cancel Culture

by Ellen DurneyBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffHi, I’m Ellen!

Jonah Hill has a new movie out, and it’s all about cancel culture in Hollywood.

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The Outcome, which came out on Apple TV today, stars Keanu Reeves as a beloved Hollywood icon named Reef Hawk, who is forced to confront his past after a bizarre video threatens to end his career. You can watch the trailer here.

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You could argue that the premise is kind of ironic, considering that Jonah — who co-wrote, directed, and acts in the movie — faced intense public scrutiny in 2023 when his ex-girlfriend of roughly a year, Sarah Brady, accused him of emotional abuse.

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Jonah did not address Sarah's allegations at the time. Instead, he stayed out of the public eye for a few years, married his longtime girlfriend, Olivia Millar, and welcomed two children with her.

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Jonah previously announced in 2022 that he was taking a break from promoting his movies, explaining in an open letter that his anxiety attacks are “exacerbated by media appearances and public-facing events.”

Now, after years away, Jonah is back in the spotlight to promote The Outcome, and he’s sharing his thoughts on the tricky topic of celebrity cancellations.

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Speaking with Martin Scorsese for Interview Magazine, Jonah explained why he wanted to make a movie about a celebrity’s reputation being ruined in the first place, saying: “When all this cancel culture stuff was happening, I thought, ‘Who’s the one person that people would be the most bummed about getting canceled?’ It would be Keanu Reeves.”

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Jonah said that he pitched the idea directly to Keanu, who was immediately on board, so he got to work on a script.

Though it centers on a celeb, Jonah explained that the movie is actually representative of the wider social media world we live in. “Not many people can relate to a movie star, but the way I view it is, we’ve all turned ourselves into scorched, middle-aged movie stars by putting our lives up for judgment on social media every second of every day,” he said. “You build an identity just like a famous person does.”

Apple TV

“You’re the Reef Hawk of your school because people on social media are following you the same way tabloids follow famous people,” he went on. “I saw my nephews walking through life scared of perception in a way we weren’t when we were in high school…And all you do is lie awake at night freaking out about what people you’ll never meet think of you, versus the three people who know you best and have to tolerate you on a day-to-day basis.”

Bringing it back to the fame aspect, Jonah said he was able to “relate to” the “paranoia” that Keanu’s character is constantly battling in the film. This prompted Martin to say that the nature of the world now is all about “building up a god and goddess and then wanting to tear them down.”

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In agreement, Jonah suggested that people derive enjoyment from the public cycle of celebrity cancellations. “There’s the entertainment of the hero soaring, the entertainment of them being knocked down, and then the entertainment of them rising from the ashes,” he said.

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“But the truth is, modern entertainment is pretty much just tearing someone down,” he added. “...If you look at ‘entertainment,’ the business around it plays to our sickest parts.”

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Well, that’s Jonah’s take. But what do you think? LMK in the comments.

You can read Jonah’s full interview with Martin here. The Outcome is now available to stream on Apple TV.

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