Final Fantasy Voice Actor Fired For Refusing COVID-19 Vaccination
Whatever your opinion on the COVID-19 pandemic is, the solution to ending it is rather simple - the majority of us need to get vaccinated. However, long-time Cloud Strife voice actor, Steve Burton, has apparently missed the memo, and has been fired from a TV show he stars in for refusing the vaccine.
Why Exactly Was Steve Burton Fired?
For the past 30 years - aside from a four-year break - Steve Burton has starred in a US soap opera called General Hospital. He's perhaps more known in the gaming world for his role as Final Fantasy's Cloud Strife, protagonist of the highly-acclaimed seventh game. Though he didn't voice Cloud in that entry, he's played the character since 2002s Kingdom Hearts, and has left his impression on fans.
Burton was recently fired from General Hospital for refusing to comply with the show's vaccine mandate. He made the announcement on his personal Instagram, where he has over 340 thousand followers, captioning the video: "Hey! I wanted you to hear it from me. I love and appreciate all of you!"
"I know there's been a lot of rumours and speculations about me and General Hospital, and I wanted you to hear it from me personally. Unfortunately, General Hospital has let me go because of the vaccine mandate. I did apply for my medical and religious exemptions, both of those were denied, which hurts. But this is also about my personal freedom to me."
Have Other Actors Been Fired For Refusing The Vaccine?
Letitia Wright, the actor who plays Shuri in Black Panther and the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe, has also been involved in controversy recently due to her anti-vaccine views. Last year, she quit social media after receiving backlash for sharing a video that expressed anti-vaccine sentiments.
More recently, it was claimed in The Hollywood Reporter that she shared similar sentiments while on the set of Black Panther 2, which has been filming this year. However, she also took to Instagram to dispel the reports.
"God bless you all. It saddens me to have to address the reports published by The Hollywood Reporter on October 6th, 2021," she wrote. "The report spoke about my conduct on the set of Black Panther 2. I honestly assert that this was completely untrue."
She concluded: "Anyone who knows me or has worked with me, knows that I work incredibly hard at my craft & my main focus is always to do work that's impactful and inspiring. That has been & will continue to be my only focus."