When Adam McKay accepted his award for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Big Short, he made the usual thank yous, but he also had a message for voters in the upcoming election:
“If you don’t want big money to control government, don’t vote for candidates who take money from big banks, oil, or weirdo billionaires — stop.”
While this did not name any candidates specifically, it was pretty clear to be in support of Bernie Sanders, and a snub to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Clinton has often been criticized for taking contributions from big businesses, while Sanders has been setting himself apart during this campaign by refusing corporate donations, and breaking the records for individual donations to a campaign, showing how much support he has from the people that should be deciding elections: individual Americans.
McKay has used other spaces to mention his specific support of Sanders, including donating to his campaign. He felt it best, however, to step back from the campaign as The Big Short released in order to let the movie speak for itself, away from any political bias. McKay was also approached by Clinton’s campaign, but declined the request to endorse her.
#Oscars: 'The Big Short' wins Best Adapted Screenplay https://t.co/Qz0t8N1dCA https://t.co/Ioj5USjir5
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 29, 2016