London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 08, 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
British Chambers of Commerce Calls for Business Rate Reform and Productivity Support
UK Farmers Warn Dry Summer Could Reduce Crop Yields and Push Up Food Prices
UK Rail Networks Hit by Widespread Delays After Major Signalling Failures
Matt Clifford Resigns as ARIA Chair After Conflict-of-Interest Scrutiny
UK and France Say Joint Border Operations Have Prevented More Than 48,000 Irregular Channel Crossings
UK Core Inflation Remains Above Expectations as Utility and Commodity Costs Stay Elevated
Jaguar Land Rover Considers Up to 4,000 UK Job Cuts Amid Automotive Industry Pressure
UK Government Pauses Local Authority Reorganisation for Legal Review
UK Public Borrowing Reaches £1.8 Billion in July, Adding Pressure Before Autumn Budget
Chancellor John Healey Puts Regional Devolution and Fiscal Discipline at Heart of UK Growth Plan
Counter-Terrorism Police Lead Salford Investigation After Two Teenagers Charged
UK Rejects Financial Reparations for Transatlantic Slavery
UK and Egypt Step Up Diplomacy Over Escalating West Bank Tensions
UK Pauses Council Reorganisation Across Four English Counties
Jaguar Land Rover Plans 4,000 Job Cuts in Major UK Restructuring
UK Unveils Planning and Regulatory Overhaul to Speed Infrastructure and Economic Growth
University of Bristol Opens £500 Million Innovation Campus
Families Give Evidence to Independent Review of Sussex Maternity Failures
Sweden Confirms Deportation of 458 British Citizens Over Post-Brexit Residency Rules
UK Launches £3 Million Challenge for Long-Duration Energy Storage
Reform UK Proposes £100 Billion in Spending Cuts and Brownfield Deregulation
Andy Burnham Warns Macron That EU Procurement Rules Could Hurt British Steel
Andy Burnham Faces Major Decision on Future North Sea Oil and Gas Drilling
SEND Support in England Projected to Reach One in 10 Pupils
England’s Housing Courts Struggle With Surge in No-Fault Eviction Cases
Violent Clashes Erupt in Portsmouth During Protest Against Asylum Processing
Three-Quarters of NHS Emergency Staff Report Regular Violence or Aggression
UK Considers Converting Female Prison Space for Male Inmates as Overcrowding Worsens
UK House Prices Record First Annual Decline in Nearly Three Years
UK Government Reassesses Policy Toward Israel Amid Calls for Diplomatic Shift
Reform UK Faces Police Scrutiny Over Alleged Foreign Donations Scheme
University of Bristol Opens £500 Million Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus
Online Bookmakers Accused of Privacy Breaches Through Cookie Consent Practices
Health Campaigners Urge UK Government to Abandon U.S. Pharmaceutical Agreement
Three-Quarters of UK A&E Staff Report Regular Violence or Aggression
Far-Right Demonstrations Target Portsmouth as Small-Boat Crossings Fuel Tensions
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record After Severe Heatwaves
UK Travellers Face Renewed EU Border Delays as Temporary Flexibility Ends
UK Rejects Calls to Pause AI Data Centre Expansion Despite Energy Concerns
UK Defence Figures Push for 3% Spending Target Amid Falklands Concerns
England Faces Rising Financial Pressure as Special Educational Needs Plans Surge
Metropolitan Police Consider Reform UK Probe Over Overseas Donations
Keir Starmer to Leave Parliament, Triggering By-Election
UK Treasury Weighs Windfall Taxes on Banks and Oil Companies Amid Bond Market Turmoil
Jaguar Land Rover to Cut Thousands of Jobs as UK Government Rules Out Bailout
OpenAI Unveils GPT-6 and Says: "We May Already Have Reached AGI"
Congressman Accused Andrew of Sex Crimes in the United States
Donald Trump: "I'm Glad Harry and Meghan Left the United States"
Spicy Food Is Linked to Lower Death Risk — but It Is Not a Miracle Cure
AfD Enters Saxony-Anhalt Election at 41% in Historic Test for German Politics
×