Tilda Swinton Blasts Lingering Covid Protocols: ‘I Was Told to Wear a Mask at All Times, I’m Not’

Academy Award-winning actress Tilda Swinton has no plans on following lingering Covid protocols like masking up, despite having previously discussed her difficulty with the virus.

While speaking at South by Southwest, Swinton noted she was happy that the Austin, Texas crowd wasn’t masked and then blasted Covid restrictions still in place on film sets.

“I’m about to shoot a picture in Ireland, and I was told to wear a mask at all times, and I’m not,” the actress told the Austin, Texas crowd, according to Variety.

Swinton insisted she was “very healthy” after worrying she was likely being “recorded” while criticizing Covid restrictions.

Swinton has her own personal history with Covid, opening up to W magazine in 2022 about lingering symptoms from having Covid, including memory loss which made it difficult for her to memorize her lines.

“I did two films that I had to learn a lot of text for. I’m normally quite quick at studying and picking stuff up, but this was like chewing a really big piece of gum. I couldn’t remember my lines,” she said.

A number of actors have stepped forward recently to criticize Covid protocols, including Woody Harrelson, who made waves on Saturday Night Live for mocking lockdowns and vaccines. Other performers, such as Ice Cube and Matthew Marsden, have also claimed they’ve lost out on gigs for refusing to a Covid vaccine.