London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 07, 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
UK Met Office Issues Heatwave Alerts for London and Southern England
Keir Starmer Blocks Earlier World Cup Kick-Off Time for England Match Against Mexico
NHS Digital Transformation and Media Consolidation Highlight UK Policy Priorities
UK Government Pushes Digital Trade Rules to Cut Export Costs for Businesses
Bank of England Plans Leverage Rule Changes to Support Government Bond Market
UK Police Operation Targets Organised Immigration Crime Networks With Hundreds of Arrests
Yvette Cooper Calls for Global AI Rules to Prevent Security Risks
NHS Begins Major AI Expansion Through £10 Billion Digital Investment Programme
UK Government Tightens Rules on Political Donations to Limit Foreign Influence
Keir Starmer Defends UK Defence Spending Plan at NATO Summit in Turkey
Comcast’s Sky Agrees £1.6 Billion Deal to Acquire ITV Media and Entertainment Division
Senior NHS Doctors Vote in Favour of Renewed Strike Action Over Pay Dispute
Andy Burnham Set to Succeed Keir Starmer as Labour Leadership Nominations Open
Microsoft Lays Off 4,800 Employees and Xbox Suffers the Hardest Blow
Deep Purple Has Released Its Best Album in Decades
Office for National Statistics Updates Historical Investment Data Review to Improve Accuracy
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Highlights Economic Gains From Digital Inclusion
Debate Intensifies Over UK Defence Strategy and Domestic Security Priorities
Report Warns Full Transport Accessibility Could Add £176 Billion to UK Economy Annually
Medicines Regulator Approves First Targeted Treatment for Advanced Merkel Cell Skin Cancer
Government Commits £22 Million to Brighton Seafront Infrastructure Renewal and Transport Safety
National Security Bill Returns to House of Commons Amid Calls to Protect Humanitarian Work
Government Tightens Overseas Political Donation Rules to Strengthen Safeguards Against Foreign Influence
NHS Maternity Reform Expands Central Oversight After Critical National Review
Dover Border Warnings Highlight Post-Brexit Pressure on Cross-Channel Trade
Private Nuclear Consortium Advances £35 Billion Small Reactor Strategy in UK
UK Labour Leadership Signals Shift Toward Reindustrialisation and Regional Power
House of Lords Debates Rail Nationalisation Bill to Create Great British Railways
Scottish Affairs Committee Expands Inquiry Into SNP Financial Conduct
Evri Launches £1.2 Million Defamation Case Against BBC Over Panorama Investigation
Port of Dover Warns of Border Delays as EU Entry-Exit System Looms
Nigel Farage Referred to Standards Watchdog Over Alleged Undeclared Benefits
UK Government Faces Scrutiny Over Claimed AI Datacentre Investment After FOI Findings
UK and India Finalise Trade Agreement Rules Ahead of Mid-July Implementation
UK Government Establishes National Maternity Commissioner After Major Review of NHS Care Failures
Private Consortium Plans £35 Billion UK Nuclear Programme Targeting Small Modular Reactor Rollout
Andy Burnham Sets Out Ten-Year Reindustrialisation and Devolution Plan as Leadership Transition to UK Premiership Advances
Morocco and France Advance as 2026 FIFA World Cup Enters Quarterfinals.
Historic 2026 Tour de France Opens in Barcelona With Revamped Team Time Trial.
Global Mergers and Acquisitions Approach $4 Trillion Defying Geopolitical Tumult.
Negotiators Advance 20-Point Framework for Gaza Ceasefire and Demilitarization.
OECD Warns Middle East Conflict Will Depress Global Economic Growth.
Ukrainian Drones Strike Major Oil Terminal in St. Petersburg.
World Meteorological Organization Issues Urgent Alert Over Rapidly Intensifying El Niño.
United States Commemorates 250th Anniversary With Diplomatic Summits and Global Flotilla.
Iran Begins Days-Long Funeral for Supreme Leader Khamenei Amid Strait of Hormuz Standoff.
Technology giant reports surging carbon emissions driven by artificial intelligence infrastructure demands.
Artificial intelligence adoption accelerates workforce reductions across the technology and financial sectors.
Global technology and financial conglomerates collaborate to launch a new stablecoin standard.
United States regulators lift export restrictions on a major frontier artificial intelligence model.
×