London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Feb 28, 2026

Oliver Stone says you need a 'sensitivity counselor' to make films now

Oliver Stone told the New York Times in an inerview that 'everything has become too fragile, too sensitive' in Hollywood and the new ways of working are 'ridiculous' amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Oliver Stone slams politically correct Hollywood and says you need a 'sensitivity counselor' or 'Covid adviser' to make a movie now and compares Academy to an 'Alice in Wonderland tea party

* Oliver Stone said 'everything has become too fragile and sensitive,' in Hollywood

* 'You can't make a film without a Covid adviser. You can't make a film without a sensitivity counselor. It's ridiculous,' he said in a new interview

* The director, 73, said he has never seen the Academy of Motion Pictures 'quite mad like this' and compared it to an 'Alice in Wonderland tea party'

* He complained about longer shoots due to social distancing for actors amid the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in increased costs

* Stone said his forthcoming film will show that J.F.K. was murdered by powerful government forces and he may release it on 'YouTube or in Transylvania'

* He admitted that his 20 or so Hollywood films have worn him out and he doesn't feel like doing another one right now

* Stone's novel Chasing the Light, which depicts his life from the Vietnam war zone to the Oscar stage, comes out July 21

Movie director Oliver Stone has criticized modern Hollywood for being 'politically correct' and and feels the industry has gone 'mad'.

Stone, 73, who won Academy Awards for his 1986 movie Platoon, feels 'worn out' after making 20 motion pictures with major studios, and the current industry standards amid the coronavirus pandemic have put him off projects that are not on his terms.

'The problem is in Hollywood. It's just so expensive — the marketing. Everything has become too fragile, too sensitive,' Stone told the New York Times Magazine in an interview. 'Hollywood now — you can't make a film without a Covid adviser. You can't make a film without a sensitivity counselor. It's ridiculous.

'The Academy changes its mind every five, 10, two months about what it's trying to keep up with. It's politically correct [expletive], and it's not a world I'm anxious to run out into. I've never seen it quite mad like this. It's like an "Alice in Wonderland" tea party.'

Stone also pointed to increased costs that are expected to come with production due to the coronavirus pandemic as he clarified the complications he was referring to.

'I just read something about how films are going to be very expensive to make now, because you need to take all these precautions, and a 50-day shoot becomes a 60-day shoot, and social distancing for actors,' he explained. 'That's what I'm talking about.'

In recent years Stone has released 2016's Snowden starring Joseph Gordon Levitt and 2012's Savages starring Blake Lively.

In his memoir Chasing the Light, out July 21, he details his life from the Vietnam war zone to the Oscar stage.

Stone - whose 1991 movie, JFK, starred Kevin Costner - said in the new interview that he's not afraid to make films that aren't necessarily going to be popular.

That includes the upcoming working title J.F.K.: Destiny Betrayed, which he says he is making because 'there's been quite a bit of new material revealed that people have basically ignored' in the last three decades since his film where he was accused of fear-mongering.

'I'm not scared of that,' Stone continued about a possible repeat of accusations. 'I'm past that age. I don't need to make a Hollywood movie. I don't need to get the approval of the bosses.'

Stone's documentary will explore how there's 'no chain of custody' to the single bullet fired by Lee Harvey Oswald that caused multiple wounds to Kennedy and Texas Governor John Connally who was riding in the same car. It also delves into how the autopsy from Bethesda, Maryland 'was completely fraudulent'.

'And there's Vietnam. No historian can now honestly say that the Vietnam War was Kennedy's child. That's crucial,' Stone continued. 'The last thing is the C.I.A. connection to Oswald. We have a stronger case, not only for post-Russia but also for pre-Russia. In other words, he was working with the C.I.A. before he went and when he came back. Those are the main points.

'Those who are interested will find it's pretty clear that J.F.K. was murdered by forces that were powerful in our government.'

Stone added that while he 'would have no problem doing another' Hollywood film, he doesn't 'feel it right now'.

'Frankly, I did 20, and I got worn out,' he admitted.

He says the J.F.K film points the finger at a 'couple of individuals' and whether or not the mainstream accepts it 'it will be out'.

'Even if it's on YouTube,' Stone added. 'Or in Transylvania.'
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
When the State Replaces the Parent: How Gender Policy Is Redefining Custody and Coercion
Bill Clinton Denies Knowing Woman in Hot Tub Photo During Closed-Door Epstein Deposition
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton Testifies on Ties to Jeffrey Epstein Before Congressional Oversight Committee
Dyson Reaches Settlement in Landmark UK Forced Labour Case
Barclays and Jefferies Shares Fall After UK Mortgage Lender Collapse Rekindles Credit Market Concerns
Play Exploring Donald Trump’s Rise to Power by ‘Lehman Trilogy’ Author to Premiere in the UK
Man Arrested After Churchill Statue Defaced in Central London
Keir Starmer Faces Political Setback as Labour Finishes Third in High-Profile By-Election
UK Assisted Dying Bill Set to Fall Short in Parliament as Regional Initiatives Gain Ground
UK Defence Ministry Clarifies Position After Reports of Imminent Helicopter Contract
Independent Left-Wing Plumber Secures Shock Victory as Greens Surge in UK By-Election
Reform UK Refers Alleged ‘Family Voting’ Incidents in By-Election to Police
United Kingdom Temporarily Withdraws Embassy Staff from Iran Amid Heightened Regional Tensions
UK Government Reaches Framework Agreement on Release of Mandelson Vetting Files
UK Police Contracts With Israeli Surveillance Firms Spark Debate Over Ethics and Oversight
United Airlines Passenger Hears Cockpit Conversations After Accessing In-Flight Audio Channel
Spain to Conduct Border Checks on Gibraltar Arrivals Under New Post-Brexit Framework
Engie Shares Jump After $14 Billion Agreement to Acquire UK Power Grid Assets
BNP Paribas Overtakes Goldman Sachs in UK Investment Banking League Tables
Geothermal Project to Power Ten Thousand Homes Marks UK Renewable Energy Milestone
UK Visa Grants Drop Nineteen Percent in 2025 as Migration Controls Tighten
Barclays and Jefferies Among Banks Exposed to Collapse of UK Mortgage Lender MFS
UK Asylum Applications Edge Down in 2025 Despite Rise in Small Boat Crossings
Jefferies Reports Significant Exposure After Collapse of UK Lender MFS
FTSE 100 Reaches Fresh Record Highs as Major Share Buybacks and Earnings Lift London Stocks
So, what's happened is, I think, government policy, not just under Labour, but under the Conservatives as well, has driven a lot of small landlords out of business.
Larry Summers, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary, is resigning from Harvard University as fallout continues over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday, with the Dow gaining about six-tenths of a percent, the S&P 500 adding eight-tenths of a percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbing roughly one-and-a-quarter percent.
From fears of AI-fuelled unemployment to Big Tech's record investment, this is AI Weekly.
Apple just dropped iOS 26.4.
US Lawmakers Seek Briefing from UK Over Reported Encryption Order Directed at Apple
UK Business Secretary Calls on EU to Remove Trade Barriers Hindering Growth
Legal Pathways for Removing Prince Andrew from Britain’s Line of Succession Examined
PM Netanyahu welcome India PM Narendra Modi to Israel
Shadow Diplomacy: How Harry and Meghan’s Jordan Trip Undermines the Monarchy
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, comments on immigration in the UK.
Bill Gates, the UN and the WEF are attempting to construct "a giant digital gulag for all of humanity" via digital ID, CBDCs and vaccine passport infrastructure.
Britain’s Channel Crisis: Paying Billions While the Boats Keep Coming
Downing Street’s Veteran Deception Scandal
UK HealthCare Expands ‘Food as Health’ Initiative Statewide to Tackle Chronic Illness in Kentucky
Leonardo Chief Says UK Set to Decide on New Medium Helicopter Programme
UK Slows Chagos Islands Agreement After Concerns Raised in Washington
European and UK Stock Markets Reach Fresh Highs as Banks and Miners Lead Rally
UK Government Insists Chagos Islands Negotiations Continue After Minister’s ‘Pause’ Remark
No Confirmed Deal for Engie to Acquire UK Power Networks Amid Market Speculation
UK Reaffirms Updated Entry Requirements for Travellers as of February 25, 2026
General Atlantic to sell equity stake in ByteDance, valuing the company at $550 billion
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Secures Pledge from China for Greater Imports of Quality Goods
Lord Mandelson Condemns Arrest as Driven by ‘Baseless Suggestion’ He Would Flee Abroad
Former UK Ambassador Released on Bail Following Arrest in Epstein-Linked Investigation
×