They said the quiet part out loud. Again.
Hollywood poses as a tolerant industry where people from all walks of life can tell their stories. And they back it up on several fronts.
Just don’t support limited government, lower taxes or, gasp, Donald Trump. Your career may come to a screeching halt. Zachary Levi calls it “career suicide.”
The entertainment press admits this every few months without acknowledging its toxic nature. Remember how The Hollywood Reporter said Cheryl Hines may be shunned within the industry for supporting her husband who now supports Trump?
The industry, and its press acolytes, would rage if any other group got discriminated against within the industry. Blacks. Muslims. LGBTQ+ people.
As well it should.
When conservatives face overt, undeniable discrimination the entire industry yawns. It’s even worse if you’re a woman, apparently.
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The far-Left Variety said as much during a revealing interview with “Sopranos” alum Drea de Matteo. The actress has butted heads with Hollywood groupthink, which essentially ended her acting career. She refused to take the COVID-19 show, which we later learned didn’t prevent people from getting or spreading the virus.
She also started defying Hollywood’s progressive playbook, further eroding her fading star status. Now, she supports Trump as a way to shake up the political status quo.
Variety spoke to de Matteo about her political evolution. In the process, it admitted why she may never work on a Hollywood project again.
De Matteo knows that voicing these views is an act of self-immolation when it comes to her future film and TV prospects. Men may get a pass. After all, Mel Gibson and Jon Voight still work plenty. Quaid probably will continue to find himself in demand. There’s not as clear a path for return for MAGA women.
Left unsaid? The countless artists who aren’t as famous as Quaid or Gibson who keep their conservative views quiet. They know the consequences.
Plus, the media took Whoopi Goldberg’s side when “The View” host said Hollywood doesn’t discriminate against conservatives and the industry is balanced between liberal and conservative talent.
Now, consider this.
Hollywood worshipped at the altar of confessed child rapist Roman Polanski until the MeToo movement shamed them into changing their minds.
Actor Ezra Miller’s rap sheet was a mile long before the actor got a plum role in “The Flash.” Had that film over-performed at the box office (it didn’t) Miller likely would have appeared in several sequels.
Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust.” It’s a complicated case that took years to play out in court, but Baldwin continued to work within the industry.
De Matteo’s Trump embrace, however, is likely a bridge too far.
