“This is not about politics”: McConaughey releases new PSA

Matthew McConaughey has been spreading important messages of hope during the coronavirus crisis, and his newest PSA, created with producer Roy Spence, reminds viewers the pandemic is not about politics.

The PSA, which McConaughey shared on Instagram, features patriotic images from different American cities and small towns as the song “American Medley,” by Anthem Lights, plays. Then the words, “This is not about politics,” appear over an image of health care workers wearing personal protective equipment. “This is about US.”

The PSA, which was created for McConaughey ad his wife’s Just Keep Livin’ Foundation, subtly pushes back against the political divide that’s developing around the response to the pandemic.

Protesters, in some cases backed by right-wing organizations, have been rallying against stay-at-home orders, and a growing number of states, including Texas and Georgia, have begun rolling back restrictions on nonessential businesses even though the number of cases continues to rise.

Still, health experts stress that limiting contact between people could help save lives and ease the burden on hospitals. A recent CBS News poll found 63% of Americans are more worried about restrictions lifting too fast and worsening the outbreak, while just 37% are more worried about the economic consequences of going too slowly.

As simple as it may be, McConaughey’s PSA drives home the point that the restrictions are not political, they are meant to help save laves. “It’s about us,” he wrote in the caption of the video.

This is not the first coronavirus PSA McConaughey and Spence have collaborated on. In March, McConaughey voiced a PSA reminding fellow Texans to practice social distancing by staying home in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The spot was produced by Spence and released by Governor Greg Abbott.

McConaughey has also used social media to urge people to follow guidelines during the pandemic. In a video posted to his Instagram on March 24, the actor told viewers, “the numbers of the coronavirus are about to spike, they’re going to go up, but we can’t panic… But remember, now more than ever, we are more dependent on each other than ever before.”

In the video, McConaughey tells viewers the best way to help front-line workers and scientists working on vaccines is to stay at home.

The Texas native has also taken a personal approach to easing the burden of the pandemic. In April, he and his family hosted a bingo game on a video chat with residents of a local senior living community.