With 57 days Ahead of the election and two days before the first presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, actors who have portrayed fictional superheroes were honored, including Mark Ruffalo (who has portrayed Bruce Banner/Hulk in the MCU franchise since 2012), Mandy Patinkin (who played Inigo Montoya from The princess bride), and more teamed up with “real-life superheroes.” Whistleblowers Alexander Vindman and Jessica Denson, climate activist Bill McKibben, and more celebrities shared their real-life stories alongside fictional superhero journeys and how they connect to the American story, shared common ground, and what’s at stake from a Democratic perspective as they raised money for the Harris-Walz campaign. The event raised over $40,000.
Hosted by comedian Barathund Thurston and actor Sean Astin (aka Samwise Gamgee in Lord of the Rings The livestream also featured guests from outside Hollywood, including Reps. Adam Schiff and Justin Jones, Judith LeBlanc of the Indigenous Organizers Alliance, and former Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gunnell, who said he was attacked by up to 60 people on Jan. 6 while defending the Capitol. There was also a lesson in meme building.
Some stories were inspiring even if they didn’t have a fairytale ending, like Joyce Jones of Montevallo, Alabama, who ran for mayor in 2020, was attacked on social media by a conservative coalition, and lost by 48 votes. Meanwhile, Jonelle shared her harrowing experience on Jan. 6 and its aftermath.
While no one covered up the sentiment expressed on the livestream that Trump is a threat to democracy, there was some joy amid the urgency. While Ruffalo encouraged everyone to smash the donate button, discussed climate justice, and read an upbeat quote from playwright Howard Zinn, he also took a humorous swipe at Elon Musk. “Elon Musk is a two-faced traitor because he was a climate champion and sold himself out for a dollar and some power. Don’t follow this guy. This guy doesn’t even have his native accent anymore,” he joked. “Yeah, don’t follow him. Don’t listen to him. We’re the ones who should believe in him.”
Later, Patinkin gave an equally impassioned speech, telling a story about why the truth was so important to him: When his father was dying of cancer, others advised him not to share the news with his father. “I believed it,” he said, “and I never got to sit down with my father and tell him the truth. And you’ll never get that chance again. You’ll never get a second chance with the people you love, with your grandchildren, with your country. Sometimes you only get one chance to strike the right note, and we’re at one of those crossroads in the existence of this democracy, the republic, as Ben Franklin said, if you can keep it. It’s never been in greater danger.”
He also introduced the audience to a song. “This is a song I love to sing because it was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, and it was to honor their immigrant parents who came to this country for a new beginning,” he explained, before launching into a moving rendition of “Over the Rainbow” in English and Yiddish.
