Hundreds of British stars back staying in European Union
LONDON (AP) — If celebrity power were votes, Britain's European Union membership would be secure.
Almost 300 actors, writers, musicians, filmmakers and other cultural figures appealed Friday for British voters to back the "remain" side in a June 23 EU membership referendum, arguing that a vote to leave the 28-nation bloc — known as "Brexit," will leave the U.K. "an outsider shouting from the wings."
Signatories from the acting world included Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch, X-Men superhero Patrick Stewart, Jude Law, Bill Nighy, Keira Knightley, Kristin Scott Thomas, Chiwetel Ejiofor, David Oyelowo, Derek Jacobi and Helena Bonham Carter.
They were joined by spy novelist John le Carre, Wolf Hall author Hilary Mantel, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle, singer Paloma Faith and the members of rock band Franz Ferdinand.
Filmmakers Richard Curtis, Tom Hooper and Steve McQueen signed, as did playwright Tom Stoppard.
The letter was coordinated by Britain Stronger in Europe, the official campaign for the remain vote, which is closely tied to the Conservative government. The effort is aimed at broadening the remain campaign beyond economic arguments to highlight the positive benefits of cultural collaboration with Europe, according to an analysis in The Guardian.
The letter said many creative projects "would never have happened without vital EU funding or by collaborating across borders." It argued that Britain's creative success "would be severely weakened by walking away."
"From the Bard to Bowie, British creativity inspires and influences the rest of the world. We believe that being part of the EU bolsters Britain's leading role on the world stage," the signatories said. "Let's not become an outsider shouting from the wings."
Culture is one of Britain's biggest exports. Data released Friday by the British Phonographic Industry showed that one in six music albums sold in 2015 was by a British act, and U.K. actors regularly headline Hollywood films.
Prime Minister David Cameron underscored the artists' "remain" message with a visit Friday to London's Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles once recorded. He met signatories to the letter including The Wire star Dominic West and sculptor Anish Kapoor.
Most of the generally liberal arts community backs remaining in the EU, but the support is not absolute. Brexit-backing entertainers include actor Michael Caine and singer Roger Daltrey of The Who.
Writer and Conservative peer Michael Dobbs — who wrote the original British 1990s series House of Cards — said Britain's creative industries were booming "because of the talent that is in Britain's DNA," and not because of the EU.
The EU, Dobbs said, is "failing. The dream is dead. We need to move on."
Brexit backers, which include many of Cameron's Tory colleagues, dismiss "stay" backers as "luvvies."
"That our lucky stars of stage and screen benefit from the EU’s largesse should hardly be a clincher for anybody else," read the headline over Simon Jenkins' column in The Guardian.