Britain’s efforts to expand the uptake of electric vehicles have been an uphill battle. The country achieved the milestone of selling its 1 millionth electric car last month, but is still grappling with many challenges, from stalling sales over high costs to other regulatory hurdles.

Public perception is another reason why EVs aren’t being adopted quite as easily—and a high-profile film star may be part of the reason for it.

The Green Alliance, an independent think tank that advocates for environmental leadership, told the House of Lords on Tuesday that actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson, known for his roles as Mr. Bean and Johnny English, was partly to blame for how people think about EVs.

Atkinson, a self-proclaimed motorcar enthusiast, wrote an op-ed for The Guardian last June where he described EVs as “soulless” and not the “environmental panacea” that everyone claims they are.

He added that he felt “duped” for buying one, but acknowledged that the vehicles were “wonderful mechanisms: fast, quiet, and until recently, very cheap to run.”

“Our honeymoon with electric cars is coming to an end,” Atkinson said at the time. “Sadly, keeping your old petrol car may be better than buying an EV.”

The article attracted criticism from industry experts, who argued that the British actor’s arguments were misleading, prompting discussions on whether EVs are the best option we have for cutting carbon emissions in transportation.

Green Alliance argued that information in the public domain, such as Atkinson's “damaging” op-ed, was skewing the discourse on EVs—and not in a good way.

“One of the most damaging articles was a comment piece written by Rowan Atkinson in The Guardian which has been roundly debunked,” the group said, according to written evidence published by the House of Lords’ Environment and Climate Change Committee Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, fact-checks never reach the same breadth of audience as the original false claim, emphasizing the need to ensure high editorial standards around the net-zero transition.”

The environment-focused think tank also highlighted how right-wing newspaper The Daily Mail has been on a “campaign against EVs,” and although some of its claims have been a misrepresentation, it still “hit home with consumers and policymakers.”

Green Alliance’s written evidence included a number of subjects—such as the U.K. government’s 2030 and 2035 targets set out in September to phase out emission-heavy vehicles in favor of transitioning to EVs, and consumers’ experience with owning EVs.

Atkinson’s agent and Green Alliance have been contacted for comment.