People are calling out celebrities for appearing insincere in a PSA vowing to 'take responsibility' amid the Black Lives Matter movement

• Stars like Aaron Paul, Debra Messing, and Stanley Tucci are being criticized after participating in a new video for a campaign titled I Take Responsibility.
• The campaign urges people to be held accountable for their actions and educate themselves in an effort to end systemic racism.
• The video went viral and people on Twitter called out some of the stars for appearing insincere by seemingly reading their lines from a script or emphasizing phrases for dramatic effect.

Celebrities are facing backlash after appearing insincere in a PSA about vowing to "take responsibility" for their actions and end systemic racism in the US.

On Wednesday, Confluential Films released a star-studded video that was made in support of the company's partnership with the NAACP for a new campaign titled I Take Responsibility. The video came amid nationwide protests against police brutality in response to the death of George Floyd and many others.

In the black-and-white video, stars like Sarah Paulson, Aaron Paul, Kesha, Kristen Bell, Justin Theroux, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Julianne Moore called out the times they have contributed to systemic racism through overt and covert actions.

For example, Bell pledged to take responsibility "for every time it was easier to ignore than to call it out for what it was" and Howard owned up to "every time I explained away police brutality or turned a blind eye."

The PSA appeared to go viral after Marlow Stern, the senior entertainment editor for The Daily Beast, shared it on Twitter and said: "regret to inform you the celebs are at it again."

People called out the video for being 'performative nonsense'

Many people said the video was counterproductive to the tangible efforts made by other stars who have marched in protests, donated money to organizations, or shared helpful resources with their fans — even if the participants had good intentions

They also viewed it as performative, since some of the participants held their hands to their chests as they said, "I take responsibility," or put emphasis on phrases and paused between words, seemingly for dramatic effect.

Many also criticized Debra Messing, Stanley Tucci, and Justin Theroux for appearing to read their short lines off of a prompt, rather than memorizing them

It's unclear how many lines each star was given, and how many were selected to be part of the PSA's final cut. It's possible that the actors read their sentences in order to uphold appropriate and accurate language while discussing racism.

Messing's eyes appeared to scan across words as she said "every blatant injustice, no matter how big or small" and Tucci did the same as he said: "I will no longer allow an unchecked moment. I will no longer allow racist, hurtful words, jokes, stereotypes, no matter how big or small to be uttered in my presence."

Others compared the PSA to a previous video organized by Gal Gadot, which contained celebrities singing 'Imagine' while quarantining amid the coronavirus pandemic

The video received backlash because people felt that the stars should have done something more substantial to aid coronavirus relief efforts.

People also had strong reactions to the end of the video

It featured Paul, known for his Emmy-winning role as Jesse Pinkman on AMC's hit drama "Breaking Bad," saying: "Killer cops must be prosecuted. They are murderers. We can turn the tide. It is time to take responsibility, call out hate, step up, and take action."

The video concluded with a callout to 'take action today at itakeresponsibility.org'

"ITakeResponsibility.org was created to stand up for our Black friends and family in America," a statement on the site reads. "Our goal is to rally the white community, to provide education, and encourage action. Our mission is to ensure this takes place. We cannot sit idle while systemic racism and police brutality continue throughout our country."

The statement also called for all levels of racism "to be identified, recognized, and addressed."

"This begins with white men and women taking responsibility for their personal role in eradicating racism in America — taking a stand and committing to change."

Even though stars in the PSA were slammed for being counterproductive, some of them have been vocal about the steps they've taken to combat racism

Howard recently recommended nine films for fans to watch that aren't "The Help" (which she starred in) after the problematic movie became a popular choice to view on Netflix. Meanwhile, Messing shared books that people can read to educate themselves on anti-racism and is amplifying Black voices by participating in a social media initiative called #ShareTheMicNow.

Watch the PSA below.

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