Actor Ed Harris says America faces 'serious work' to tackle gun violence

The four-time Oscar nominee revealed he does not own a gun and he hoped “common sense would prevail” in the wake of deadly mass shootings in Orlando and Dallas.

Ed, who plays the gun-slinger Man In Black in the upcoming television series Westworld, told the Press Association: “I think the Second Amendment (the right to bear arms) is certainly viable but I do think we need some serious, serious work in this country about guns and access to weapons, the type of weapons and people being able to buy AK47s.

“The NRA (National Rifle Association) is such an incredibly immovable powerful lobby. Hopefully common sense will prevail but I don’t know.”

Ed, 65, said he believed Westworld, which also stars Sir Anthony Hopkins and airs on Sky Atlantic in October, is “not a very optimistic look at humanity”.

“We are the dominant species on this planet and we’re doing nothing but f****** it up. Think about that,” he said.

“We’re the ones that are able to change it in any way we possibly can. No one else is going to do it. And we’re not doing a very job of it.”

The Apollo 13 star admitted he felt “frustration” with the film industry because it had “changed so drastically in the past 15 years”.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent on big giant films,” he said.

“It’s certainly not a dying art form but in terms of the public and the consumerism and all the sequels that are being done, I have nothing against that. If you give the audience, if you just feed them one thing, that’s what they’re going to eat.

“It seems to me there’s been a lack of trying to introduce the audience to other things. Change their appetite, change their diet. But it’s all about money, it always has been.”