A new celebrity-backed Constitution Day video has reopened a familiar political argument: Do Hollywood PSAs persuade voters, or do they mostly give critics another target?
According to reporting by Luis Cornelio for Headline USA, Jamie Lee Curtis, Noah Wyle, Robert De Niro and Ramon Gerard Estevez appear in a nearly 40-second video tied to the Oath Project, an initiative launched by the American Constitution Society.
Actors Recite an Oath
The video shows participants introducing themselves and reciting language pledging to “support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” according to the source material.
The campaign asks participants to record themselves reciting the oath and share the clip online with the hashtag “TheOathProject.” The source characterizes the effort as having no clear concrete goal beyond that call to participate.
In addition to the actors, the video reportedly includes J. Michael Luttig, a retired federal judge, and Isaiah “Ike” Wilson III, an Arizona State University professor.
Critics Mocked the PSA Online
Headline USA reported that critics on X mocked the video as another example of wealthy celebrities using social media to lecture Americans about politics, voting or public life.
The source also cited a post from Oli London, who described the campaign as a protest against Trump and shared a clip of Jamie Lee Curtis and Robert De Niro reciting the oath.
A Familiar Celebrity Campaign Playbook
The backlash fits a pattern that has followed several celebrity voter-mobilization videos over the past decade.
In 2016, filmmaker Joss Whedon organized the “Save the Day” video ahead of the presidential election. The project featured Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Don Cheadle and others, and was widely viewed as an effort to encourage turnout for Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump ultimately won that election.
Hollywood figures also appeared in election-related videos in 2020. W Magazine released an “I vote” video featuring Brad Pitt, Charlize Theron, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Adam Sandler, Shia LaBeouf and others, encouraging Americans to register and vote.
That same year, actors known for playing lawyers on television — including Julianna Margulies of The Good Wife, Dulé Hill of Suits and Sam Waterston of Law & Order — appeared in a relay-style video urging real lawyers to protect the 2020 election, according to the source.
In 2024, actors who played the Avengers appeared in a video urging people to vote for Kamala Harris, the source reported.
The Unresolved Question
The Oath Project video is short, but the reaction around it points to a larger tension that returns every election cycle: celebrity messages may be designed as civic encouragement, but critics often read them as partisan persuasion dressed up as public service.
For now, the campaign’s measurable impact is unclear. What is clear is that the latest star-backed oath video has already become part of the long-running fight over Hollywood’s role in American politics.
