Hollywood has long been filled with figures unafraid to speak up about the issues. Then there’s Ron Perlman. Where the likes of George Clooney and Mark Hamill regularly speak truth to power, Ron Perlman fumes it. Less than a week after saying “go f*ck yourself” to Ted Cruz, the beloved character actor and definitive on-screen Hellboy has come for Ron DeSantis.
On Monday, the Florida governor officially signed into law the controversial Parental Rights in Education bill, colloquially known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. It prohibits the teaching of LBTQIA+ matters in kindergarten through third grade. Its critics accuse it of effectively legislating homophobia and transphobia, further marginalizing already marginalized people. The bill has led to backlash from numerous corners, among them from Florida-based Disney employees. DeSantis in turn has mocked the biggest company in his state, brushing them off as “Woke Disney.”
But now DeSantis has to contend with Ron Perlman.
Dear @GovRonDeSantis … pic.twitter.com/FvSkideBvz
— Ron Perlman (@perlmutations) March 29, 2022
In a video much like his Ted Cruz rant, Perlman speaks in close-up to yet another far-right bigwig. Perlman takes, shall we say, umbrage with the notion that a state can restrict American citizens from saying certain words, like “gay.” He calls DeSantis a “f*cking Nazi pig” before reminding him about the First Amendment. “Read about it,” he says, “then run for office, you piece of s*it.”
The bill has led to a week of walkouts at Disney, formal condemnations from the company itself, as well as derisive jokes at Sunday’s chaotic Academy Awards. But Perlman’s is among the angriest and sweariest denunciations DeSantis has received yet. Indeed, it gives Sean Penn’s recent threat to “smelt” his Oscars a run for its money.