Jason Clarke dismisses patriotism criticism surrounding "First Man"

Jason Clarke has dismissed criticism surrounding "First Man" as "nonsense" following accusations that moon landing film is less patriotic.

The Damien Chazelle directorial received brickbats after film's lead Ryan Gosling said he believed Neil Armstrong's moonwalk "was widely regarded not as an American, but as a human achievement".

Senator Marco Rubio slammed the makers for not showing the American flag being planted on the moon in the film.

Clarke, who plays Edward Higgins White, the first American man to walk in space, in the film, said, "It's nonsense, it's just nonsense. The film itself can be interpreted as patriotic.

"It's just silly and naive I think. Of course, it celebrates one of the greatest acts of America and Americans and humanity and mankind."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, he was speaking at the Deauville Film Festival.

Clarke added, "People look for conspiracy theories rather than looking for the truth".

The actor, who attended the festival to receive a career honor, said the theme of his next film, "Chappaquiddick" and current political climate, mirrored each other, which he called "dangerous".

"We're happy to hold up people that hold up our ideals but don't really buy them. Hypocrisy and lack of responsibility is one of the biggest challenges facing us today," he said.

He added "win at all costs" mentality pits political opponents against each other.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)