As an Academy Award-winning producer and a political conservative, Gerald Molen has worked in the entertainment business long enough to remember when being openly Republican in Hollywood was no big deal.
“In the ’90s, it was never really an issue that I had to hide. I was always forthright,” recalled the producer, whose credits include “Schindler’s List” and two “Jurassic Park” movies. “It used to be we could have a conversation with two opposing points of view and it would be amiable. At the end, we still walked away and had lunch together.”
Those days are largely gone, he said. “The acrimony — it’s there. It’s front and center.”
For the vast majority of conservatives who work in entertainment, going to set or the office each day has become a game of avoidance and secrecy. The political closet is now a necessity for many in an industry that is among the most liberal in the country.
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Since the presidential election, some conservatives feel that their political beliefs are more of a career liability than ever — even for those traditional Republicans disenchanted by President Trump.
“I feel absolutely it has harmed me professionally,” said Andrew Klavan, the L.A.-based screenwriter and novelist, and a “reluctant” Trump supporter. His credits include the 1990 Michael Caine dark comedy “A Shock to the System” and the novel “True Crime,” which was made into a movie directed by Clint Eastwood.
Klavan said that producers have “called my agent asking, ‘Why would you represent this guy?’ Anything that lowers your odds is going to hurt.”
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While no official tally exists, conservatives in the local entertainment industry estimate their numbers could be as high as a few thousand. That’s a small fraction of the nearly 240,000 entertainment-related jobs in the county estimated in the most recent Otis Report on the Creative Economy of the L.A. Region.
Friends of Abe — the industry’s largest conservative organization — alone counts about 2,500 people on its roster, having started a decade ago with just a handful of individuals led by actor Gary Sinise.
The organization, which keeps the identities of its members secret, holds monthly social events as well as lunches for new members. A new member can only join through a recommendation by an existing member. The group doesn’t endorse candidates, but does hold speaking events with past guests including Trump, Ted Cruz and Glenn Beck.
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Hollywood conservatives are themselves a divided group when it comes to Trump, whose brash style and controversial policies on trade and immigration have alienated many Republicans.
Leaders of Friends of Abe said its members have sharply divergent views on the current president.
“There are very conservative people in FOA who are troubled by his rhetoric,” said executive director Jeremy Boreing, a filmmaker and self-described Trump skeptic. “There are others who are very gung-ho and supportive of him. There are people who are cautiously optimistic and others who are just cautious.”
He said it was too early to tell how Trump will affect the organization, but “if Hollywood continues to overreact to Trump and toxify people’s professional lives, FOA will grow. We got started under [George W.] Bush, not under Obama. Hollywood was a more pleasant place for conservatives during Obama’s tenure because Hollywood was in a good mood.”
In casting his vote for Trump, screenwriter Roger L. Simon said it was because he believes Trump can enact change in the country. But the Oscar nominee said he isn’t a social conservative. (He said he voted for “Moonlight” for best picture.)
“I think most of the people on the right in Hollywood are on the right for reasons of foreign policy and the economy,” said Simon.
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Leaders of Friends of Abe said it has a large contingent of “below the line” talent — technicians, artisans, musicians and other crew members who toil far from the limelight.
“They fly under the radar,” said Stephen Limbaugh, a film composer and a second cousin of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh. Most don’t advertise their political views and lead unpretentious lives. “It’s mostly beers after work.”
But another concentration of conservatives can be found at the opposite end of the Hollywood spectrum: the corner offices of major entertainment companies.
“Corporate Hollywood tends to be much more conservative and Republican,” said Steve Ross, a professor of history at USC and author of the book “Hollywood Left and Right.”
That dates back to Louis B. Mayer, the MGM boss who was active in California’s Republican establishment and who would often mix business and politics.
Prominent Republican supporters today include NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke, former Univision head Jerry Perenchio and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
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Steven Mnuchin, who was national finance chairman of Trump’s campaign and is now Treasury Secretary, was a Wall Street executive and film financier whose executive producer credits include “American Sniper,” “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Sully.”
Talent agency William Morris Endeavor has close ties to Trump. Co-CEO Ari Emanuel, a Democrat, is a friend of the president, having previously worked as his agent, while chief financial officer Chris Liddell recently left the company to become Trump’s director of strategic initiatives.
But corporate Hollywood is far from being politically uniform. Rival agency UTA recently protested Trump by canceling its annual Oscars party and holding a pro-immigration street rally. During the recent presidential campaign, a slew of entertainment bosses lined up to give money to Hillary Clinton, including Barry Diller, Haim Saban and ICM Partner’s Chris Silbermann.
Some believe that deep down, corporate Hollywood is politically agnostic and that profits supersede partisanship.
“Where is this liberal Hollywood agenda? The agenda seems to be whatever will entertain mass audiences,” said screenwriter Craig Mazin, who has voted Democrat and Republican and now describes himself as a moderate. “How could an industry have been successful this long if it was alienating half the country?”
Industry insiders say this is especially true in the exhibition industry, which includes the country’s major cinema chains as well as small-town theater owners.
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“Film buyers are greedy. They want a good performing film,” said Ron Rodgers, the retired co-founder of Rocky Mountain Pictures, an independent distributor of conservative and Christian-themed movies.
He said he’s had no problems selling his films in blue states, so long as exhibitors think a movie will play well. “They will change religions for it.”
The same can be said of some studios. Lionsgate, the Santa Monica-based mini-major, has distributed films by left-wing documentarian Michael Moore, including “Fahrenheit 9/11.” But the company is also behind the most recent documentary by conservative rabble-rouser Dinesh D’Souza.
“Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party” was savaged by critics and even earned a Razzie Award for the worst movie of 2016. But it was also the year’s top-grossing documentary, bringing in more than $13 million theatrically. Lionsgate, which declined to comment, distributed the DVD in the U.S.
D’Souza said that since the election, “Trump derangement syndrome” has set in and that a lot of creative Hollywood “is up in arms. That probably doesn’t bode well for any conservatives in the industry, especially the ones who are outspoken about Trump.”
Numerous actors including Meryl Streep, Samuel L. Jackson and Jessica Chastain have publicly denounced Trump’s policies. Alec Baldwin has lampooned Trump several times on “Saturday Night Live,” while Jimmy Kimmel took swipes at the president while hosting the Oscars.
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In such a charged climate, many conservatives in Hollywood keep a low political profile.
“There’s a McCarthyism coming from the left,” said one prominent TV and movie actor who requested his name not be used for fear of professional repercussions. The actor, who is conservative but not a Trump supporter, said political shouting matches have erupted on the set of one of his shows and that a conservative producer he works with has been shunned by colleagues.
“In 30 years of show business, I’ve never seen it like this,” said the actor. “If you are even lukewarm to Republicans, you are excommunicated from the church of tolerance.”
(Unless you’re a star like Eastwood and Jon Voight, Oscar winners who have openly supported Republican candidates. Voight even spoke during Trump’s inauguration festivities: “God answered all our prayers... Let us rejoice in knowing that from this time on, we will see a renewed America.”)
“Once you reach a certain level of success, it’s fine,” said Michael Medved, the conservative film critic and radio host. “It doesn’t matter.”
For Hollywood conservatives, a Republican in the White House doesn’t necessarily herald a golden age of acceptance. In fact, “it’s usually the opposite,” said Lionel Chetwynd, the screenwriter and co-founder of Friends of Abe. He said industry liberals doubled down on their resentment toward conservatives during the Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush years.
Today, their anger toward Trump is even more intense. And many hold enough industry power “where they can be vicious,” said Molen, the “Schindler’s List” producer.
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Even so, Molen said he thinks conservatives should stand up for their beliefs.
A late-night TV talk show host (Emma Thompson) faces falling ratings, personal crises and a blindingly white-male writers’ room in “Late Night,” co-starring and written by Mindy Kaling.
Elton John (Taron Egerton) lays down a track for his express train to super-stardom in “Rocketman.” The musical biopic co-stars Jamie Bell as lyricist Bernie Taupin.
Genie (Will Smith, right) explains the three-wishes thing to the title character (Mena Massoud) in Disney’s “Aladdin,” director Guy Ritchie’s live-action remake of the 1992 animated feature.
Unburdened by Batman and Superman, the DC Comics realm turns in a not-bad origin story buoyed by Zachary Levi as the superhero version of 15-year-old Billy Batson (Asher Angel).
Reunited for a family wedding, former lovers played by Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem find themselves embroiled in a kidnapping in “Everybody Knows,” directed by Asghar Farhadi.
A tropical island boat captain (Matthew McConaughey) and his much-abused ex-wife (Anne Hathaway) enter a vortex of rough justice and fancy riddles in “Serenity.”
Capping the trilogy started with “Unbreakable” (2000) and the surprise hit “Split (2017), Shymalan’s treatise on superhero origin stories brings James McAvoy, Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson together for a plodding psych-hospital escape.
Washington D.C. power brokers Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) and Lynne Cheney have a date with destiny in Adam McKay’s “Vice,” co-starring Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld.
Nomainted for: Best Picture, Best Actor for Christian Bale, Best Supporting Actor for Sam Rockwell, Best Supporting Actress for Amy Adams, Best Director for Adam McKay, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Hair and Makeup,
(Matt Kennedy / AP)
13/20
Queen Anne’s (Olivia Colman) court wrestles with the question of how to finance a war with France. Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), the Duchess of Marlborough, uses her wits, her body and the queen’s bed to coerce Anne into raising taxes on the citizenry in order to keep the off-screen battle going. Then the unexpected arrival of her country cousin, Abigail (Emma Stone), a noblewoman fallen on hard times. A dab hand with medicinal herbs, Abigail quickly rises above servant status to become the queen’s new favorite. Game on!
Nomainted for: Best Picture, Best Actress for Olivia Colman, Best Supporting Actress for Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, Best Director for Yorgos Lanthimos, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design,
(Atsushi Nishijima / AP)
14/20
This image released by Fox Searchlight Films shows Olivia Colman in a scene from the film “The Favourite.” (Atsushi Nishijima/Fox Searchlight Films via AP) (Atsushi Nishijima / AP)
15/20
A high-powered ad agency executive (Tika Sumpter, right) takes in her ex-con sister (Tiffany Haddish, center) in “Nobody’s Fool.”
Risk-prone 13-year-old Stevie (Sunny Suljic, left) shares some of his angst with one of the local LA skateboarding idols, Ray (Na-Kel Smith), in writer-director Jonah Hill’s “Mid90s.”
An Atlanta teenager (Amandla Stenberg) deals with the death of her friend in “The Hate U Give,” director George Tillman Jr.’s fine adaptation of the best-selling young adult novel.
In “First Man,” Ryan Gosling reteams with “La La Land” director Damien Chazelle to relay the story of astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon.
Dax (Lil Rel Howery) gave up playing basketball after getting a crucial buzzer-beater whapped out of the sky by his nemesis, Mookie (Nick Kroll). Now Dax coaches Harlem street ball and has sunk his life savings into the Rucker Classic tournament. Uncle Drew (Kyrie Irving) holds the key to Dax’s redemption.
“Ye” isn’t so much a musical statement as a 23-minute, seven-track therapy session. Read the review
(Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
2/21
The new album embraces her individuality more explicitly than ever, both more autobiographical and more politically and socially direct than anything she’d recorded previously. It’s a rawer, less elaborate work than its predecessors, yet still hugely ambitious. Read the review
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3/21
On her seventh studio album, “Golden Hour” (MCA Nashville), the singer-songwriter doesn’t get hung up on genre. She’s made a style-hopping pop album that infuses her songs with a relaxed spaciousness while muting, but not ignoring, her country roots. Read the review
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4/21
After years of small, carefully articulated recordings and one-man shows, Moses Sumney has finally released his long-gestating debut album, “Aromanticism” (Jagjaguwar), and it’s as resistant to instant categorization as his earlier work. The self-produced album is strikingly, starkly intimate — it sounds like the loneliest place on Earth, wherever that might me (an island, a cave, someplace in the listener’s head). Read the full review.
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5/21
“American Dream” is a breakup album of sorts but not in the traditional sense. This is about breakups with youth, the past, and the heroes and villains that populated it. It underlines the notion of breaking up as just a step away from letting go — of friends, family, relevance. Read the review.
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6/21
Chuck Berry‘s surprise announcement last October that he would release his final studio album this year was made all the more poignant by his death March 18 at age 90.
“Chuck” (Dualtone/Decca) very much sounds like a career capstone, a thank-you to the people who mattered most to him — from his wife of 68 years, Themetta “Toddy” Suggs to the fan in the second row at one of his concerts.
Sir the Baptist, aka William James Stokes, is the son of a preacher, and his major label debut, “Saint or Sinner” (Atlantic), has one foot on the street and the other in a church. Read the review.
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8/21
So is there really something about Harry? The 10 songs edge toward ‘70s revivalism rather than 2017 hip-hop-EDM-urban-contemporary stylishness, a move presaged by One Direction tracks such as “Four” and “Fireproof.” Producer Jeff Bhasker specializes in freshening up retro-leaning sounds with artists such as Kanye West, Jay-Z and Mark Ronson-Bruno Mars (“Uptown Funk”). In addition, Bhasker co-wrote nine of the 10 songs with Styles, along with a small team of hired guns. Read the full review.
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9/21
The title song from “Deliverance” is Grade-A late-period Prince, 3-plus-minutes of piano-organ interplay and sanctified backing vocals that impart an anthemic gospel feel. Read the review
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10/21
The self-released “Drogas Light,” Lupe Fiasco’s first album since severing ties with Atlantic, brought hope that it might rekindle the spark and freshness of his 2006 debut, “Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor.” Instead, it falters beneath its own cynicism. Read the full review.
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11/21
“Nothing Feels Natural” doesn’t come off like a new band’s first statement. It sounds fully formed and wickedly confident, the work of four people who had to get a few things off their chest. Read the review.
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12/21
“Black America Again” (ARTium/Def Jam) arrives as a one of the year’s most potent protest albums. The album sags midway through with a handful of lightweight love songs, but finishes with some of its most emotionally resounding tracks: the “Glory”-like plea for redemption “Rain” with Legend, the celebration of family that is “Little Chicago Boy,” and the staggering “Letter to the Free.” Read the review.
(Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)
13/21
Warpaint’s unerring feel for gauzy hooks and slinky arrangements germinated over a decade and flourished on the quartet’s excellent 2014 self-titled album. But the band has always nudged its arrangements onto the dance floor — subtly on record, more overtly on stage — and “Heads Up” (Rough Trade) gives the group’s inner disco ball a few extra spins. Read the review.
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14/21
Nick Cave has been singing about mortality for decades, and he’s really good at it. Whether the narratives are biblical or pulpy, the victims innocents or death row convicts, the circumstances comprehensible or cruelly random, Cave’s songs are on intimate terms with the infinite ways a life can be extinguished. And yet, “Skeleton Tree”, his latest album with his estimable band, the Bad Seeds, is a relatively concise song cycle shadowed by death that feels different than all the rest. Read the full review.
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15/21
On “Here” (Merge), the band’s first album in six years and 10th overall, the front line of Norman Blake, Gerard Love and Raymond McGinley once again trades songs (four each) and lead vocals, over sturdily constructed pop-rock arrangements. But the band has taken some subtle evolutionary turns to where it’s now a faint shadow of its “Bandwagonesque” incarnation. Read the review.
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16/21
Now “Schmilco” (dBpm Records) arrives, a product of the same recording sessions that produced “Star Wars” but a much different album. Though it’s ostensibly quieter and less jarring than its predecessor, it presents its own radical take on the song-based, folk and country-tinged side of the band. Read the full review.
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“Blonde” is a critique of materialism with Frank Ocean employing two distinct voices, like characters in a play, a recurring theme throughout the album and perhaps its finest sonic achievement. A party spirals out of control, the music rich but low key, a melange of organ and hovering synthesizers. Ocean uses distorting devices on his voice to add emotional texture and to enhance and sharpen the characters he briefly embodies. The upshot: They’re all little slices of Ocean’s personality with a role to play and they each sound distinct. Read the full review.
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On their new album, “Existentialism,” the Mekons turn their audience and the recording space into accomplices for the band’s high-wire act. Read the full review.
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19/21
“Lemonade” is more than just a play for pop supremacy. It’s the work of an artist who is trying to get to know herself better, for better or worse, and letting the listeners/viewers in on the sometimes brutal self-interrogation. Read the full review.
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20/21
In contrast, “Junk” (Mute”), M83’s seventh studio album, sounds chintzy — a bubble-gum snyth-pop album that indulges Gonzalez’s love of decades-old TV soundtracks, hair-metal guitar solos and kitschy pop songs. Read the full review.
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21/21
Kendrick Lamar’s “Untitled, Unmastered” is presented as an unfinished work, though it rarely sounds like one. Read the review.
