The coronavirus pandemic has racked up hundreds of thousands of infected worldwide, with a death toll of multiple thousands and sadly many more to follow before people much smarter than all of us are able figure out how to fight it. That still hasn’t stopped some celebrities from making asinine comments about the situation though, the latest of whom, Evangeline Lilly, is being suitably dragged for them.
Lilly made statements about refusing to self-isolate recently, taking her children to gymnastics and suggesting the whole thing is a hoax to divert attention from the US elections, and in doing so overtook Vanessa Hudgens for the most ill-advised comments on the crisis without even having the excuse of being high while having done so.
Many people have let Lilly know exactly what they think of her, with the latest to respond being her Lost co-star Maggie Grace, who posted a considered explanation of why her thoughts on the matter were dangerous and poorly thought out.
[“There’s no need to panic, but at the same time this is about all of us – the vulnerable, the immunocompromised, older folks. Sure, it’s a free country, but how about choosing to exercise some of that wonderful freedom to have some compassion, trust the extensive science here and not overwhelm the health system. No doctor should have to choose which patients get life-saving care and which patients get sent home to die – the sort of triage that is sadly happening in Italy right now. Please out John Hopkins, Stat News, think about how these small decisions affect your dad and those in your community as ventilators run out – and as you use you influence on such a large group of other people. I say this with all humility, please rethink this. Your kids will be find without going to gymnastics, I promise.”
Grace isn’t the first to take a shot at Evangeline Lilly for her comments, with Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner giving a less subtle but equally impactful reaction. Grace may have a tendency to play highly irritating characters in films and TV, but it seems that in real life she’s an intelligent, thoughtful and level-headed woman, and if you’re only going to listen to one celebrity during this ordeal, you could do worse than it being her.
As things get worse before they get better, it might be tempting to pay attention to people who are saying things you want to hear rather than those espousing more prudent courses of action, so please continue to do all you can to keep yourself and others safe.
