Nick Searcy shared some shocking news in his latest op-ed for National Review.
The actor turned director helmed “Gosnell,” the true story behind late-term abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s house of horrors. Dr. Gosnell is currently in jail following a 2014 conviction on three counts of first-degree murder.
The movie, out Oct. 12, tells why — a story that’s both mesmerizing and frightening.
That’s the kind of material that usually attracts reporters from the Hollywood and news realms. Both parties essentially stood down on the matter, so Searcy and a crowdfunding campaign led by Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney came to the rescue.
That’s partly why the “Justified” star tackled the project, he says.
Here’s where the subject gets interesting (and scary) for those who care about freedom of thought in Hollywood.
Searcy’s “Gosnell” team featured plenty of people whose belief’s don’t align with the Searcy’s. He didn’t mind. Nor did they.
But that wasn’t the case for everyone.
“But many people, some of them good friends of mine, declined to work on this film, not because of its quality but because of the fear of reprisal or even ostracism by the groupthink herd in Hollywood. More than once, I was asked questions like “Are you crazy?” or “Are you sure you want to do this?”, wrote Searcy.
Hollywood’s biased treatment of conservative stars and their beliefs is an open secret few in the business (or those who cover it) wish to discuss, let alone cure.
Consider this: Friends of Abe, a group of conservative stars that may or may not now be defunct, met in secret for years. They refused to share their member roster or other details of their existence.
Why? They feared they could lose gigs if their “secret” came out.
This reporter has spoken to several stars who, while leaning conservative, keep that fact to themselves for fear of retribution.
Meanwhile, liberal stars routinely gather to host fundraisers for Democrats, appear in PSAs for progressive causes and otherwise discuss their views anywhere they darn well please.
As it should be, by the way.
They don’t suffer the burden of worry and fear that their personal beliefs becoming public might destroy their livelihood.
Need more proof of Hollywood’s intolerance of conservative views? Here’s a 2016 story from The Hollywood Reporter tied to Donald Trump’s ascendancy and its influence on Hollywood conservatives.
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.
Director John Sullivan of “2016: Obama’s America” fame told me some crew members worked under pseudonyms for the film.
“They’re were like, ‘hey, I really want to do this project. I want to work with you, but I’m concerned with working in the future,” Sullivan said.
Comedian Heather McDonald leans to the right, something that didn’t seem relevant to her career at first. Then she got a gig with E!’s “Chelsea Lately” show. Later, she attended a Friends of Abe meeting.
“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. “In 2008 it was especially bad. If you weren’t for Obama then you hated black people,” she adds.
Searcy describes Hollywood in a way that hardly sounds woke.
“…this town runs on fear — the fear not only of failure but, more insidiously, of being shunned because of your political opinions.”
What’s even more intolerant? Knowing the problem exists and seeing so few celebrities willing to speak out about it.
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