James Woods did something he rarely does this week. He appeared on a talk show for a wide-ranging chat on everything from acting to President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline.
That’s standard operating procedure for most stars. Woods isn’t like most stars. He’s openly conservative, and he’s paid a steep price for beliefs shared by roughly half the country. His last sizable role came in 2014’s “Jamesy Boy.”
He’s since lost both his agent and place in Hollywood, Inc.
Why? He’s openly conservative. It’s that simple.
He’s far from alone. Kevin Sorbo has a painfully similar story as to why he no longer works in mainstream Hollywood films. Jim Caviezel claims he lost not one but two agents for starring in “Sound of Freedom.”
Other right-leaning artists keep their views to themselves. They know better.
Some once met in secret as part of the Friends of Abe collective. They bonded over professional horror stories, shed tears over discrimination and offered each other moral support.
A very tiny few, including Jon Voight, can share their conservative takes without professional punishment. Voight is both a legend and an exception to the rule.
And while some will name-check Tim Allen and Kelsey Grammer as fellow, outspoken conservatives, neither is a fraction as boisterous as, say, John Leguizamo or Rob Reiner.
It’s why Woods’ interview with SiriusXM superstar Megyn Kelly proved illuminating and tragic. He served up killer stories, shared personal tales of losing his father at an early age and teased a secret project coming this fall.
The takeaway? It’s darn near criminal the twice Oscar-nominated star is no longer welcome in Hollywood. And there’s zero outrage about it from his fellow actors or the corporate press.
Woods is still in the industry’s cross-hairs. He explained to Kelly why he had to hide his connection with the Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer” – he’s an executive producer on Christopher Nolan’s film – to ensure its Oscar hopes wouldn’t suffer.
“When Oppenheimer came out, there was a discussion about my Twitter, and it was gently suggested that I basically remain invisible, which was painful,” he said. “On the other hand, I’m a pragmatic person and I thought, a lot of people put their effort into this, so I’m just going to be an invisible pariah … I stepped back and basically took one for the team.”
The irony? Woods spoke glowingly of two far-Left artists during the Kelly chat. Each epitomizes how progressives can do or say almost anything in Hollywood and not face professional repercussions.
The actor praised Whoopi Goldberg of “The View” fame and Reiner for being talented and dear friends. Sure, they may disagree on almost everything, but Woods would work with either again in a heartbeat.
Would most liberal stars say the same about Woods? Has either Goldberg or Reiner directly addressed Woods’ professional cancelation?
Plus, many artists have openly wished death on President Donald Trump and/or compared him to Hitler.
No professional repercussions.
It’s the new Hollywood Blacklist. It isn’t as punitive as the 1950s version. Woods isn’t threatened with jail time for not “naming names.” That’s little comfort for a 77-year-old star who can still deliver great performances … except no one is willing to risk the new blacklist’s wrath to hire him.
