Neil Patrick Harris went to the Berlin Film Festival to promote Sunny Dancer, directed by George Jaques. The film stars Bella Ramsey, the non-binary British actor, and Neil has a supporting role. The film is about a teenager who beats cancer and doesn’t want to become a Make-a-Wish kid, but her parents send her to a summer camp for kids dealing with cancer. Neil plays the camp counselor. Well, Berlin was Neil’s first time in front of the international entertainment press in a while. Apparently, he faced a barrage of questions about what it’s like in fascist-occupied America these days. Neil wasn’t even half as courageous as the Woke Winter Olympians, surprise.
Bella Ramsey, George Jaques, and Neil Patrick Harris were soon asked about whether films should be political and if cinema can fight fascism. “I think we live in a strangely algorithmic and divided world right now, and so as artists, I’m always interested in doing things that are apolitical,” answered Harris. “Because we’re all, as humans, wanting to connect in some way.”
“That’s why we experience things together,” he continued. “And so when you get to go to a film where you’re caring about the people, you’re caring about the heart of what’s happening, you’re watching this film of these young adults growing up under the umbrella of a world where some of them won’t, and I think that is so touching and also kind of exciting and rebellious and horny, and then it’s fun to be able to witness that without having to process it through a contemporary lens. Right?”
British filmmaker Jaques responded: “Sometimes the most rebellious thing you can do is be optimistic. And we wanted to make a film about joy. There’s so much going on in the world right now, and I wanted to make something that really takes you somewhere else… Yes, it’s a cancer movie. Yes, all of that happens. But actually, it’s about this young girl who starts falling in love with the world again.”
Later, after a journalist told the cast and crew that it’s “embarrassing” to say the film isn’t political after having had access to healthcare to fight cancer themselves, Harris was asked by another: “Do you dare to criticize your government and do you think democracy in the U.S. is in danger?”
“Wow,” Harris began. “While I have my own political opinions, I think as a performer, especially in this kind of movie, [I’m] trying to be as inclusive [as possible.] I never read this script as a political statement. It was much more about a human growing up and having realizations about themselves, singularly and [about] friendship.”
Just terrible answer after terrible answer from NPH, my god. How f–king difficult is it to say something like “actually, things in America are really awful right now and my prayers are with everyone dealing with all of this insane bullsh-t, but I’m trying to just stay focused on promoting this movie?” It would have come across as a bit out-of-touch, but to hem and haw about “I’m always interested in doing things that are apolitical” is completely tone-deaf. It’s a form of MAGA Karen-ness as well, to complain about how “things are too political” or “take the politics out of this!” Politics infect every part of life. Art is inherently political. The subject matter of this particular film is political. Making a film in America, during the fascist occupation, is a political act. A wealthy Hollywood actor – a white LGBTQ man – answering mild political questions about America during an international film festival should not be some bold political Rubicon.
I asked actor Neil Patrick Harris about political art at #Berlinale today. He didn’t want to engage and said: “I’m always interested in doing things that are apolitical”. pic.twitter.com/9yBn3fTCn4
— Tilo Jung (@TiloJung) February 13, 2026
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
