Rainn Wilson cites The Last of Us as example of “anti-Christian bias”

The Last of Us ended last night, and the reviews have been pretty spectacular across the board. The show is the best video game adaptation ever, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are magical together, the show is a heartbreaking experience that will revive the zombie drama, etc.

But there are things to critique. For instance, actor Rainn Wilson — best known for playing Dwight in The Office — took aim at Episode 8, “When We Are in Need,” which featured a tyrannical, violent preacher named David as the villain. Wilson is not amused:

"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?"

Is The Last of Us evidence of an “anti-Christian bias” in Hollywood?

So does Wilson have a point? I’ll admit that when I watched “When We Are in Need” I did roll my eyes a bit, not because it was bad but because the “evil Christian preacher type” is a bit of a Hollywood stock character. I think about Robert Mitchum in The Night of the Hunter or Piper Laurie in Carrie or more recent examples like The Mist, The Witch or Midnight Mass. (Incidentally, David wasn’t a preacher in The Last of Us video game; they changed that for the show.)

On the other hand, when there are real-life Christian horror stories like Spotlight around, maybe it makes sense that there’s a rash of preacher villains in movies and TV. And to be fair, the responses to Wilson’s tweet give some good examples of positive portrayals of Christians onscreen, including characters on shows and movies like Firefly, The Expanse, Abbott Elementary, Signs and The Book of Eli.

So I dunno! I guess I’ll make like a cowardly centrist and turn the question over to you: is there an “anti-Christian bias” in Hollywood, and if so, is it anything to be concerned about?

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels