Director Ron Howard seems to want to think about anything other than politics — especially when it comes to Vice President JD Vance.
In an interview published Wednesday, Vulture asked the filmmaker what he thinks about the legacy of his 2020 film, “Hillbilly Elegy.”
“I don’t think about it,” Howard said. “I know it’s a mixed bag and probably quite culturally divided. I also know that reviews were bad and the audience-reaction rating was pretty good.”
“Hillbilly Elegy” is based on Vance’s best-selling 2016 memoir of the same name, which propelled him to national fame. Howard worked with the then-venture capitalist on the movie and spent time with him while they were promoting the film.
Despite Howard’s rather neutral response about his film, Vulture continued to press the topic of Vance, asking the director if he’s “able to reconcile the person you knew and the character in the movie with the person you see now?”
“Am I able to reconcile? Well, it’s happened, so I know what I’ve observed,” Howard said. “It remains a bit of a surprise to me. I would not have seen it coming, and I wouldn’t have expected his rhetoric to be as divisive as it sometimes is. By the way, I’m not following him or listening to every word.”
The “Frost/Nixon” director’s implication that he tunes out politics — or at least, Vance — to some degree seemed to irk a few people on X, formerly Twitter — considering Vance is now President Donald Trump’s vice president.
“May we all have the luxury of non-thought!” one user said.
“Sorry Ron, but you can no longer sit on the fence in these times,” another said.
“this is such a cowardly answer,” a third echoed.
The consequences of Trump’s policies — which range from weak jobs numbers to forced disappearances — have trickled into Howard’s own industry. CBS suspiciously canceled the “Late Show” last month after host Stephen Colbert criticized parent company Paramount’s recent settlement with Trump. The president has publicly threatened others in the entertainment business, including but not limited to Joy Behar, Jimmy Kimmel and Beyoncé.
Howard did, however, offer Vulture a few tidbits about Vance that have nothing to do with the policies he’s helping to peddle.
Vance was indeed “frustrated” by critics panning “Hillbilly Elegy,” the director confirmed.
“He felt that, just as reviews had kind of turned on the book, his involvement was in some way tainting or coloring the critical response, and he resented it,” Howard said.
The “Beautiful Mind” director also admitted that Vance’s “run for Senate and the strategy he’s chosen to follow” are not what he expected.
Howard revealed that he did text Vance shortly after the 2024 presidential election.
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“I did one text, after the election,” Howard said. “Which was just sort of ‘Godspeed. Try to serve us well.’”
