Actor Rainn Wilson called out anti-Christian bias in Hollywood after watching an episode of the HBO series “The Last of Us.” The former “The Office” actor used Twitter to discuss a recent show episode that featured a villainous character using Bible verses in what Wilson called a predictable formula.

Wilson tweeted, “I do think there is an anti-Christian bias in Hollywood. As soon as the David character in ‘The Last of Us’ started reading from the Bible, I knew that he was going to be a horrific villain. Could there be a Bible-reading preacher on a show who is actually loving and kind?”

I do think there is an anti-Christian bias in Hollywood. As soon as the David character in “The Last of Us”
started reading from the Bible I knew that he was going to be a horrific villain. Could there be a Bible-reading preacher on a show who is actually loving and kind?

— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) March 11, 2023

“The Last of Us” is a post-apocalyptic show based on a video game of the same name. It features a group of cannibals led by what appeared to be a Christian preacher. The group defended their actions by quoting Bible verses, and a later scene shows the preacher trying to assault the series’ protagonist Ellie, a young girl.

Others agreed with Wilson’s criticism, adding that this isn’t the first example of Hollywood’s anti-Christian bias.  LIBRE Initiative President Daniel Garza tweeted, “Defamation of Christianity has become the most unoriginal and tired cliches in movie/TV series storylines. Its prevalence is much more than a bias against an entire people; it is meant to undermine faith and position the secular-minded as only ones with altruistic intentions.”

New Christendom Press CEO Eric Conn tweeted, “Goes back to Mr. Collins in Austen’s ‘Pride & Prejudice.’ The preacher man is nearly always portrayed in a negative light. Also true of Hollywood today.” Writer Sean Kernan added he tends to “lean left,” but that “The Last of Us” left him rolling his eyes. “I lean left, but Last of Us still made me roll my eyes quite a few times with its Hollywood nonsense,” he tweeted. “Had to stop watching.”

Others postulated perhaps Hollywood simply doesn’t know how to portray Christians in a positive light. Another user named Isaac Goodwin said seeing true Christianity depicted on screen would benefit everyone. “Hollywood just doesn’t know how to portray a genuine Christ follower,” he tweeted. “Any born-again Christian knows David was not a true Christian.”

Others, though, took a different tone. Twitter account @socialistlyakwd proclaimed, “Christians have used their religion to take away women’s autonomy.” She then points out believers are “fighting to dismantle libraries and stop healthcare for trans people.”

“They invoke their god while they do it, but you’d like us to feature a kindly preacher in a tv series,” @socialistlyakwd continued. “To what end? This feels very tone-deaf to those of us who live in heavily red states.”

Wilson is hardly the first person in Hollywood to notice how Christians are often framed and treated on TV and in movies. Lucas Black, a Christian actor who starred in the popular series “NCIS: New Orleans” before leaving the show in 2019, said working on the hit show was “the biggest eye-opener.”

“There’s a definite agenda to attack some of my beliefs and, you know, some of your beliefs as a Christian,” Black told “The Prodigal Stories Podcast” of his experience. “I learned a lot about people’s hearts, where they were coming from.”