London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 09, 2026

'Trump vs. Hollywood' filmmaker discusses celebrities who lost jobs for conservative views

'Trump vs. Hollywood' filmmaker discusses celebrities who lost jobs for conservative views

Filmmaker Daphne Barak appeared on Monday’s “Mornings with Maria” to discuss her new documentary “Trump vs. Hollywood.” 

In the film, she speaks to a number of conservatives who have publicly declared their support for Donald Trump such as Kristy Swanson, Scott Baio, Kid Rock, Brett Ratner, Isaiah Washington, Kevin Sorbo. The stars explain how sharing their political views has cost them work in Hollywood.

Barak, who is personal friends with Trump, explained to the host that her documentary paints a picture of a deeply divided America.

“It came actually from close friend Jon Voight and President Trump,” she told the host. “We wanted to talk to others that either were scared to voice their opinion or, if they did, they never talked really in-depth about how it hurt them. You have Scott Baio saying, ‘Hey, we’re willing to talk with the other side, why aren’t they willing to talk to us?’ You have Dean Cain, he was independent right until he really announced he was supporting President Trump, he was very liked. He said ‘suddenly people say I’m not educated, I’m like the base.’ As if the base is not educated, right? And he’s a Princeton grad.”

She explained that she didn’t want the documentary to be viewed as a pro-Trump piece, but rather an exploration of the current divide between politics and show business. That’s why she reached out to people behind-the-scenes such as director Bret Ratner, who she noted claims that filmmakers are just “picking people by talent.”


Daphne Barak and Jon Voight at Mar-a-Lago in 2019, in Palm Beach, Fla. Barak appeared on 'Mornings with Maria' to discuss her documentary 'Trump vs. Hollywood.'


However, she noted that the actors she talked with for the film are “all sharing that they cannot really prove in writing that they were not included in an audition, but you know, they get phone calls and they know.”

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter shortly after a meeting at the White House with the president, Barak explained how Voight, a vocal supporter of Trump, helped her develop the idea for the film.

“I talked with Jon Voight, who is a very close friend of ours, sort of like a father figure. He’s always been a big conservative. Jon and another friend said how impossible it can be to say that they support Trump. So, I was thinking maybe we do something about that. Instead of putting [Jon] there, we decided to ask other people, younger people,” she explained. “Jon was extremely involved behind the scenes, like a mentor. We started with 10 Trump supporters, asking them to open up as never before about how painful and sometimes shameful it was for them to get out of ‘the closet’ and say, ‘We are supporting Trump.’”

She went on to note that she used to be a liberal and that she and her husband, Bill Gunasti, even hosted Hillary Clinton at her home in the past.

“Bill and I have friends from both sides of the aisle,” she concluded. “So, I just said, let’s talk to the other side, too, not only actors but people behind the scenes, like acclaimed director Brett Ratner, Avi Lerner, who is always a friend, Sylvester Stallone, Mark Geragos, the famous attorney, Eric Roberts and everything.”

"Trump vs. Hollywood" is available Dec. 14 on Google Play, iTunes and Amazon.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hyper-Realistic Reborn Dolls Draw Collectors Seeking Comfort and Craft
Gen Z Cuts Back on Dating as a Night Out Nears $200
Patients Turn to Artificial Intelligence for Therapy as Psychiatrists Warn of Privacy and Clinical Risks
Couples Embrace ‘Sleep Divorce’ to Protect Rest and Reduce Tension
Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million and Change Facebook and Instagram Safeguards for Children
Up to only 10 Months in Prison for Swedish Officer’s Murderer Sparks Anger
Success: Nvidia Turned Gaming Chips Into the Engine of the AI Boom
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s Father and Longtime Agent, Dies at 68
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Advertising trick: Pepsi’s Harrier Jet Commercial Led to a $700,000 Court Fight
Meta Raises AI Spending Target to as Much as $145bn Despite Pressure Over Returns
Danube Drought Exposes Nazi Wrecks and Pushes Central Europe’s Power System to the Brink
Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says
Air Traffic Control Outage Grounded Flights Across the Midwest
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings
Partial Solar Eclipse Expected to Draw Interest Across Southwestern UK
UK Graduate Job Postings Fall 7% as Entry-Level Opportunities Remain Scarce
UK Private Sector Returns to Growth as July Activity Reaches Highest Level Since April
UK Summer Drought and Wildfires Raise Pressure for Stronger Environmental Measures
UK Household Credit Stress Rises as Credit Card Lending Growth Hits 12.5%
London Stock Exchange Revises AIM Rules to Make Growth Capital More Accessible
NHS England to Expand Mental Health Services With 155 New and Upgraded Facilities
UK Overhauls £90 Billion Public Procurement System to Reward Domestic Jobs and Apprenticeships
Andy Burnham Holds Strong Approval as Labour Maintains Narrow Lead Over Reform UK, Opinium Finds
Royal Navy Monitored Russian Warships and Shadow Fleet Tankers for 21 Days in July
Australian Crew Evacuates Seriously Ill American From Antarctica in Midwinter Darkness
Trump’s Top General Seeks an Exit Strategy From Iran War, Report Says
Brock Lesnar Retires From Wrestling, Closing a Career of Rare Athletic Range and Lasting Controversy
Welsh First Minister Raises Independence With UK Prime Minister in First High-Level Call
UK Maintains Severe Terror Threat Level as Prevent Report Highlights Online Radicalization
YouGov Poll Shows Labour Favourability Improves as Reform UK and Greens Lose Ground
Brexit Campaigner Arron Banks Admits Hiring Private Investigator to Examine Journalist
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
July 2026 Was England and Wales’ Driest Month on Record, Met Office Says
UK Government Considers Public Inquiry Into Jeffrey Epstein’s UK Connections
Trump-Era Policy Shifts Test the Boundaries of U.S. Institutions
UK Drought Cuts Harvests and Raises Food-Security Fears
UFO: Pentagon Releases Video of Unidentified Object Tracked Over Middle East
US Health Secretary: “I’m Not Afraid of Germs — I Used to Snort Cocaine Off Toilet Seats”
Ukraine Tells Senate Republicans Its Drone War Offers a Blueprint for America
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Trump Keeps Hegseth at Pentagon While Leaving Door Open for DeSantis
UK Clears Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery Deal, but US Trial Looms
UK Prosecutors Add 38 Charges Against Andrew and Tristan Tate
Taiwan’s President Joins Wartime Command Drill as China Pressure Grows
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Mutual-Defence Pact
Government Orders Review of Prison Release Rules After Concerns Over Grooming Gang Offenders
Rail Disruption Continues Across North-West England Amid Infrastructure Problems and Engineering Closures
UK Tax Authority Proposes Broad Changes to Rules Governing Company Distributions
×