Two things are certifiably true about producer Jason Blum.
He’s as left of center as his Hollywood peers, witness his previous comments about President Donald Trump. Blum’s films reflect that progressive spirit. Think Get Out and the Purge franchise as prime examples.
We’re just learning a third truism about the famed producer, something more important given the tenor of our times. He’s not a fan of the woke mob, nor does he want to silence his ideological foes.
He’s ready to talk to conservatives and listen.
Think that’s a pose to promote his newest film, The Hunt, which mocks our cultural divide? Perhaps. Blum took one specific action that suggests he’s telling the truth.
He sat down with The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro for a no holds barred interview. Think that isn’t a brave move in and of itself?
Remember the heat actor/producer Mark Duplass took from his liberal peers for simply saying something kind about Shapiro on Twitter? The League star backpedaled furiously hours later after the blowback became too intense.
What about the heat Ellen DeGeneres faced after being cordial to former President George W. Bush at a sporting event.
Blum entered the belly of the beast – AKA Shapiro’s Sunday Special interview. And he lived to tell the tale.
Now, it helps that Blum is one of Hollywood’s most powerful players. His Blumhouse Productions cranks out low-budget, high-concept films and scores early and often. His breakthrough hit, “Paranormal Activity,” cost his studio $15,000 and earned north of $193 million at the global box office.
Let that sink in.
Still, even some of the biggest stars quickly buckle to the Woke Mob. Think Scarlett Johansson and Stephen King as Exhibits A and B. Blum’s willingness to chat with Shapiro, and engage in friendly disagreements, is precisely what’s needed in both Hollywood and the culture at large.
He did do a brief Apology Tour after he said the “wrong thing” about the dearth of female directors in Hollywood. Still, his Shapiro appearance, and his open tone, more than make amends for that pivot.
Want more Blum? Here are some highlights from his Shapiro chat.
Blum on Ben Shapiro:
“I did a lot of research on you before I came in here, and I looked at what you’ve said and done. and all you’ve expressed is a conservative point of view… the idea that we can’t talk to each other, or that I can’t go on your show, makes me furious.”
Blum on the so-called Hollywood bubble:
“One of the things I’d agree with the Right about is that I think a lot of Hollywood, including myself I would say, is out of touch with America, with the taste of America, and that bothers me, too.”
Blum on entertaining the masses:
“There shouldn’t be ‘Red State, Blue State’ movies. There should be good movies.”
Blum on systemic bias against conservatives in Hollywood, including reports of lost jobs:
“If you said that about any other group of people you’d be arrested. I think that’s very sad.”
Blum on Hollywood’s addiction to gargantuan budgets and how agents tempt their talent:
“Hollywood is addicted to money. Hollywood says, ‘If you have a hit, make a more expensive movie. That’s what every agent tells their director. You directed a $20 million movie. Now, you’re ready for a $80 million movie hit. And I think that’s garbage. The larger the budget of a movie … the more every creative decision is by committee.”
Blum on the pandemic’s long-term impact on Hollywood:
“It’s going to fundamentally affect the movie business because not just while it happens but when we’re through it … there’s going to be shifts. The consumers are going to be more used to staying at home. Something is going to give … the movie business will look different after the coronavirus.”
[Cross-posted from Hollywood in Toto.]
