Hollywood celebrities took a break from cosplaying the ‘50s-era blacklist in “Trumbo” and “Good Night, and Good Luck” to start a new version. But communists needn’t fear the Hollywood blacklist 2.0.
Such hypocrisy is par for the course in a town that seems to get all of its political opinions from Aaron Sorkin screenplays.
The ones looking over their shoulders on film and TV sets these days are conservatives. Or, in the case of Cheryl Hines, the conservative-adjacent.
Hines is a registered Democrat, like her husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But now that RFK Jr. has bowed out of the 2024 presidential race and backed Donald Trump, Hollywood has pretty much revoked the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” alum’s liberal privilege.
It’s not that Hines herself has endorsed Trump. Instead, her offense is in suggesting that Trump supporters like her husband may in fact have the country’s best interests at heart, whether or not you agree with them.
Cue the Hollywood Reporter, which uncorked a veiled threat at Hines:
But despite the show of unity with her husband, Kennedy’s decision to align himself so closely with Trump will make for, at best, some awkward dinner table conversations at home; at worst, it may result in a full-scale shunning of Hines by the Hollywood establishment.
Why would THR say that? It’s an industry bible and knows what goes on behind the scenes in La La Land. That’s why.
The magazine understands that openly conservative stars like James Woods and Kevin Sorbo no longer work in Hollywood due to their beliefs. Both stars lost their respective agents due to political differences.
The Oscar-nominated Woods is essentially retired from Hollywood films. Sorbo mostly works in self-produced features. The “Hercules” star cares more about freedom and dignity than echoing the industry’s mandated talking points.
And for every loud and proud conservative like screen legend Jon Voight, there are many others (actors, screenwriters, crew members) who keep quiet for fear of professional retaliation.
Conservative artists once met in private across Los Angeles under the moniker Friends of Abe. They networked, swapped discriminatory horror stories, and, sometimes, wept over the mistreatment.
Or, as THR calls it, “shunning.” Hines’ full-scale shunning may already have started.
Former “West Wing” star Bradley Whitford attacked Hines on social media.
“Hey @CherylHines, way to stay silent while your lunatic husband throws his support behind the adjudicated rapist who brags about stripping women of their fundamental rights. Gutsy. Great example for the kids. Profile in courage,” Whitford wrote on X.
Whitford more recently appeared in deranged dystopian fantasy series “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a show he often cites as reflective of the right’s intolerant, anti-women policies. And yet the outspoken feminist — who by all accounts ranks higher in the Hollywood pecking order than Hines — seems more than happy to bully a 58-year-old woman for having the “wrong” opinion. Punch down much, Bradley?
Such hypocrisy is par for the course in a town that seems to get all of its political opinions from Aaron Sorkin screenplays.
Perhaps the upcoming “Reagan” could have a used a rewrite from the “American President” scribe. Maybe then the film’s marketers wouldn’t have found their promotion of the film throttled by Facebook. But the Dennis Quaid-starring biopic dares to portray our country’s 40th president in a favorable light — and to offer work to Voight and Sorbo as well as other openly conservative stars like Nick Searcy and Robert Davi.
Naturally, “Reagan,” which premieres August 30, was made outside the Hollywood ecosystem. That’s the blacklist 2.0 for you. You won’t hear any complaints from Whitford — or from most of his peers.
Emmy winner Alec Baldwin did allow that such anti-conservative bias is “unfortunate” in an Instagram post. It’s notable that the high-profile Democrat keeps working despite a history of angry outbursts and an on-set accident in which he shot and killed the film’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.
Then again, Hollywood loves second acts. As long as you can still make somebody money, there are very few mistakes you can’t come back from.
Unfortunately for Cheryl Hines, being MAGA by association probably is one of them.
