In a new interview with the Hollywood Reporter, actor Stephen Baldwin claims that many people in the entertainment business voted for Donald Trump for president - but that it’s necessary to hide that fact if they want to work in liberal Hollywood.
An excerpt from the interview with Paul Pond:
Is it fair to extrapolate that experience to much of Hollywood, where people have lost relationships over their support of Trump?
Yes. I have really smart friends who are succeeding quite well as producers, writers and financiers, and they hold conservative views but they cannot speak their minds — at all. There’s a large constituency in Hollywood who voted for Trump but will never admit to that. And, Paul, I’m calling it now: With the amount of money Alec is going to make with this new tax cut, I bet he votes for Trump for re-election. Just saying!
Baldwin also joked that his notoriously liberal brother Alec would vote for Trump, in light of the recent tax cuts, which will financially benefit wealthy actors like Alec.
Baldwin, promoting his new reality show “The Great American Pilgrimage,” was also asked about being an outspoken Christian in Hollywood:
Does it bother you to be known as that?
Yes and no. It’s unfortunate that because I have believed in Jesus for 15 years that there are many in Hollywood who are unwilling to work with me. That’s not a guess. Casting people and producers have told me that they’ve brought up my name in a room and the response was, “No way, we’re not bringing that guy and his Bible over here.”Does your Christianity hurt you more than your Trump support?
Wow. Let me see. Who do I take more persecution from, Trump or Jesus? (Laughs.) That’s an interesting question, my friend. I’m certainly happy we can giggle about it. Humor was invented by Jesus. Please put that in the interview so all those fabulous people in Hollywood can read that Baldwin said Jesus invented humor. But this is why I’m doing American Pilgrimage, because we all connect through humor, but we’re losing that joy, that irony of laughing. Let me tell you something: I’m not a Bill Clinton fan, but every time I see video of him playing the saxophone on The Tonight Show, I smile, because it’s a great moment.
(Cover Photo: Gage Skidmore)