Posted on 11/23/2004 9:31:40 PM PST by Nascardude
Hollywood Republicans: Fact or Ficton? By Steve Ryfle
Patricia Heaton was having dinner and conversation with a few Hollywood friends when the subject of politics came up. When the "Everybody Loves Raymond" star said she's voting for George W. Bush, the chatter turned to awkward silence.
"You'd think I'd crapped in the middle of the table," the Emmy-winning actress says in "Rated R: Republicans in Hollywood," a documentary that premiered recently on AMC-TV.
Hollywood has always been a liberal town, a Democratic stronghold. Over the decades there have been few openly conservative celebrities. John Wayne, Charlton Heston and Frank Sinatra were proud of their Republican leanings, but in the heat of the presidential campaign, Hollywood's GOP members (and yes, they do exist) seem locked in the closet.
Sen. John Kerry has enjoyed vocal and visible support from the Hollywood clan. Ben Affleck has appeared in person with the candidate, and Michael J. Fox was sitting in the front row at one of the debates, next to Kerry's wife. George Clooney and Michael Keaton each donated $2,000 to Kerry's campaign. Matt Damon's now being quoted as saying that he'd give a million dollars to get Kerry into the White House.
And everyone knows that Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Martin Sheen, Barbra Streisand, Danny Glover and a host of other celebs have long been loud liberals. The town's affinity with the Democrats supposedly dates back to the era of the Blacklist, when Hollywood was torn apart by Cold War conservatives and their commie witch-hunt.
But other than ex-action star and current California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, it's hard to find celebrities who sing the praises of the President. According to a prevailing theory, it's just too risky for Republican stars to speak out -- the possibility of career damage is just too great (even Schwarzenegger quipped after his GOP convention speech that wife Maria Shriver -- she of the Kennedy clan -- was so upset she shunned him in the sack for two weeks).
"I honestly think that it automatically hurts me if I said that I supported the war in Iraq and I support the troops," says Drew Carey, who describes himself as a libertarian in the "Rated R" documentary. "That automatically kills me for getting a bunch of movies, a bunch of TV shows. People don't want to hear from me."
Jesse Moss, the filmmaker behind "Rated R," had trouble getting stars to appear on camera. A disclaimer in his film states that Mel Gibson, Chuck Norris, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Bruce Willis and Heather Locklear -- all known Republicans -- refused to be interviewed.
Only a few famous Bush supporters aren't afraid to stand up. Ron Silver, the famed character actor who played attorney Alan Dershowitz in "Reversal of Fortune," also spoke forcefully for Bush at the GOP convention in August. "I am liberal on lots of social issues, but I am so serious about the Bush [anti-terrorism] line," Silver told the Chicago Tribune.
Country music stars, of course, are less reticent. Brooks & Dunn, Lee Ann Womack and the Gatlin Brothers all support Bush. And a few other celebrities are in Bush's corner, if not exactly speaking out on the President's behalf: Bruce Willis, Kid Rock, Kelsey Grammer, Alice Cooper and Britney Spears.
A few years ago, James Woods told Jay Leno he "loves" Dubya and was proud to have voted for him, and Danny Aiello has also been an unabashed Republican. It wasn't so long ago that Michael Moore's Oscar acceptance speech drew audible boos from some of the Hollywood rank-and-file. But at the moment, the Hollywood chorus of conservatives remains comparatively quiet.
Meanwhile, as the campaign has heated up, several news outlets have attempted to "out" Hollywood Republicans, including Details magazine. In a recent issue, Details named a few celebrities who are admitted conservatives, such as Jessica Simpson and Shannen Doherty, and a few surprises, such as Adam Sandler and Freddie Prinze Jr. Prinze's wife, Sarah Michelle Gellar, has expressed right-wing leanings in the past.
Mike DeLuca, a powerful producer at Sony Pictures Entertainment, told Details that when he acknowledged his Republican affiliation, the reaction in Hollywood was like admitting he was a "serial killer." DeLuca added that Tinseltown liberals "...scream about the environment before they hop onto their private jets and blow 8,000 pounds of fuel getting to the Hamptons."
Details also "outed" Mandy Moore, but her publicist issued a quip of a response, stating: "Mandy is not, nor has she ever been, a Republican."
Being a Republican in Hollywood, it seems, is to be a nonconformist, a rebel. Thus, the rebels are banding together, organizing, and speaking their minds -- in comfortable surroundings, anyway. A group called the Wednesday Morning Club, whose steering committee includes Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall and Icon Pictures exec Steve McEveety (who produced "Braveheart"), has been gathering steam.
So has the Hollywood Congress of Republicans, which recently named Michael Moore "Jackass of the Year" (Moore, they say, still hasn't picked up his trophy, described as the "back part of a donkey").
What do celebrity endorsements mean to a presidential candidate, in terms of actual votes? Probably not much. Still, Hollywood's Republicans are looking forward to a day when they can speak their mind without fear of reprisals, says actor Mark Vafiades, president of the Hollywood Congress of Republicans.
"We're the guys who have the most difficulty expressing our views." Still, Vafiades says more and more people are registering with his organization -- a sign that the political climate may be changing. "It's getting closer to the day when [being a Hollywood Republican] will be acceptable."
Re: Hetfield.
I've heard some conflicting stories about him. He's probably my top guitar hero of all time - utter musical genius. Got the real low down on him?
Damn, now I'll have to buy the Scoobie-Doo movies for my kids!
I understand where you are coming from. I did not want to appear as if I was going off on a tirade of my own. I enjoyed this article, and my only point was that more conservative people are typically less vocal in inappropriate situations, at least from what I've observed. I was attempting to offer my opinion as to why pro-Bush celebs don't speak up more often.
The article proves that they do make their opinions known, although Mandy Moore sounded frightened that she would be blacklisted. No person should feel this way if fear is the reason for her publicist's comments. She is obviously not as powerful as Eastwood, Gibson, Sandler, or spears who are probably untouchable in the industry due to their enormous incomes and fan bases.
My intention was not to take issue with what you said, but simply to offer a different opinion. I was not trying to be abrasive.
I think Drew Carey is a formenr U.S. Marine.
I have to admit I actually like the Scooby Doo Movies. Decent, clean. Just silliness all over, but no sex, cussing, etc.
It's cool
I've heard some conflicting stories about him. He's probably my top guitar hero of all time - utter musical genius. Got the real low down on him?
I quoted RockinRight who said James Hetfield is conservative anarchist type --- now pinging him.
I've heard that Don King supports whoever's in the White House, regardless of party.
I don't know how true that is though.
Ditto that, he comes off as so smarmy in everything I've seen him in.
He also draws distinction in that his wife is a solid republican who has helped lead and raise money for republican groups.
Mel didn't trust the makers of the film. In fact alot of actors and other people didn't, and the makers of the film (who are liberals admittingly) have spun it to some extent that the actors and others were more afraid of being "outted" as republicans then the more truthfull reason, which is, they felt it might be a michael moore like hit piece.
This year he was very vocal pro Bush and vocal anti-democrat.
However, its pretty clear, that he won't be staying republican forever.
At best he was lukewarm. He was at the GOP convention though.
I think he was either listed as something (un-named delegate?) or for something.
I know he was quiet the whole time, and he did sign autographs for a few people.
He did initially support the war in iraq, then became furious when no weapons were found, and is still very angry about it, and as far as I have seen, seems to almost take it very personally.
Gibson though almost certainly voted for Bush.
Adam Sandler has a new movie coming out...I think I'll buy a ticket.
I agree he probably did vote for Bush.
I was a little upset when he made the lemon remark on GMA but I do respect him because he has true convictions and he stands up for them. I don't agree with his feelings about the war, but he does have a right to his opinion and he is a good guy.
Besides, after Mel's interview, Curt Schilling was on and told everyone to vote for Bush...Mel's comments were all but forgotten.
As for the convention, what day was he there? I don't remember seeing him there at all.
I also gained a great deal of respect for Ron Silver. One of the most leftist liberals you can imagine, yet he was honest enough ( just like Mayor Koch) to admit Bush had to go to war to defend our great country!
Don't forget to watch his follow up film "Walking Tall," the remake that's now out on DVD. I thought he did a great job. The film was produced by WWE Films, which is planning several films starring wrestlers. The one is filming now starring John Cena as a Marine.
"Sean Michaels - born again as I recall. He had a reputation as a really personally self-destructive individual in years past. He found God and has since returned to the WWE. He's worn -plenty- of tshirts on TV clearly expressing his beliefs."
I was thinking of buying his "Every man falls--the Just man rises" t-shirt. That is a great sentiment. He also has a "All Things are Possible" shirt. From what I understand, he battled back from a pretty severe back injury to return to wrestling.
And Steve and Adam Baldwin are both Christians and Republicans. Yes. The bothers of THAT Alec Baldwin. Steve says they are praying for Alec. Good, he needs it.
Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond) is a Christian and big time pro-lifer, she has spoken out against abortion for years.
I have a sneaky suspicion that Kurt Russell is also right-leaning. Notice all the mega hunky action movie stars are : Arnold, Mel, Bruce Willis, Kurt Russell, the Rock ...
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