Celebrities flex their power in Save the Day voting video
The show: Save the Day video The moment: The real superheroes
One by one against a white background, celebrities implore Americans to register and vote. “The only way we can prove that your vote counts,” Robert Downey, Jr. says, “is to have a lot of famous people . . .”
“. . . Lots and lots of famous people,” James Franco chimes in.
“A s--- ton of famous people,” Julianne Moore says, “repeating how important it is.”
Taran Killam: “You only get this many famous people if the issue really matters . . .”
“. . . Like a disease,” says Scarlett Johansson.
“Or a racist, abusive coward who could permanently damage the fabric of our society,” says Don Cheadle.
Yow! Writer/director Joss Whedon has put one million of his own dollars into a Super PAC for Hillary Clinton and has assembled actors from his film Avengers: Age of Ultron and his TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to make a series of videos leading up to U.S. election day, Nov. 8.
This first one is a media-savvy blend of tongue-in-cheek, selfreflexive moments — “Sometimes a not-famous person will be mixed in with the famous ones to drive the message home with their unpolished sincerity,” say two not-famous people.
The celebs “surprise” Mark Ruffalo by claiming he’ll appear naked in his next film if people vote — mixed with impassioned stings, such as Cheadle’s.
Although neither Clinton nor Donald Trump is mentioned by name, the villain here is clear.
“Help protect this country from fear and ignorance,” says Bradley Whitford.
The superheroes aren’t wearing their capes, but they sure are flexing their star power. The video can be seen at savetheday.vote. Johanna Schneller is a media connoisseur who zeroes in on pop-culture moments. She usually appears Monday through Thursday.