It’s happening again.
Once every year or so a mainstream reporter captures how Hollywood conservatives are treated like second-class citizens. And that’s being kind. It’s the new Blacklist, albeit one liberal stars appear happy to ignore.
The latest proof? A new film about Roe vs. Wade, a subject suddenly tied to President Donald Trump’s upcoming Supreme Court pick, is facing serial roadblocks.
The film is working under extreme secrecy in part due to serial attempts to derail the project. From the Hollywood Reporter:
At Louisiana State University, [co-director Nick] Loeb says, “we were told we were rejected due to our content, even though it will be a PG-rated film. They refused to put it in writing, but they told us on the phone it was due to content.” At Tulane, where Loeb is an alum, the film shot one day, but after the school newspaper reported on the nature of the project, producers were denied a second day of shooting, according to Loeb. (Both Tulane and LSU say logistics were the problem, not the content of the movie.)
The filmmakers won’t reveal the project’s investors. Perhaps they fear retribution, too? There’s more to the story, though. Many people in front of the camera and on the crew have bailed on the project after learning the script’s pro-life tone. It’s certainly fair for talent to choose material that suits their life choices, but that’s not the whole story.
Among the crew members who quit in protest was a costumer who left after two weeks “because of the subject matter and pressure from her peers…”
For Hollywood conservatives, this kind of treatment is hardly new.
In 2014 actress Maria Conchita Alonso quit a play due to pressure from her peers. Her crime? She recently had appeared in a commercial for a GOP politician.
The director of the conservative documentary “2016: Obama’s America” said several crew members worked under assumed names for fear of professional blowback from their liberal peers.
In 2016 The Hollywood Reporter inadvertently noted the discrimination conservatives face in the Age of Trump. This shocking paragraph was buried deep in an article.
While THR spoke to dozens of Trump voters, few wished to announce their support, citing their desire to avoid backlash from co-workers. One makeup artist, for example, says longtime clients stopped hiring her after learning she was a Republican.
Comedienne Heather McDonald, a Republican, said she once attended a Friends of Abe meeting. The group consists of Hollywood conservatives who meet in secret for fear of hurting their careers.
“I thought they were being dramatic,” she says of the group’s clandestine nature. “Then I started working on ‘Chelsea Lately’ … I had no idea [Republican] was such a dirty word.
I’ve spoken to a well-known conservative actor who scrupulously hides his political leanings for fear of professional backlash.
Long story short: Vote Republican, or make a pro-life film, and you’ll suffer the consequences.
Roe vs. Wade remains one of the most difficult subjects facing the nation. Any film exploring the topic could be incendiary. Does that mean Hollywood forces should align against its production?
Apparently so, and up until now none of Hollywood’s biggest names are speaking out against the effort to squash the project.
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Christian Toto is editor of HollywoodinToto.com
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