Four years after adapting J.D. Vance’s memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” into the Netflix film of the same name, film director Ron Howard shared his thoughts on Vance as a vice presidential candidate.
Speaking to Deadline at the Toronto International Film Festival, Howard, 70, said he was “surprised” by the author-turned-Republican politician’s far-right political beliefs.
“Well, we didn’t really talk about politics when we were making the movie because we were interested in his upbringing and his survival story,” Howard told Deadline. “That’s what we primarily focused on.”
“But I have to say, based on the conversations I’ve had during that time, I’m very surprised and disappointed by a lot of the rhetoric that I’m reading and hearing,” he continued. “People change, and I think that’s a fact. Well, that’s on the record.”
Howard told the outlet that he had never discussed his political views with Vance, but the filmmaker said “that was a long time ago” and that Vance, a current Ohio senator, had changed his tune since they first met.
“When I spoke to him when I knew him, he wasn’t involved in politics and didn’t claim to be particularly interested,” Howard said, urging people to vote in the upcoming election.
“I think the key is to be aware of what’s going on and to vote. That’s my answer,” the former Happy Days cast member said. “This isn’t about a movie that was made five or six years ago, that’s true, but we need to respond to what we’re seeing, hearing and feeling right now and vote responsibly, whatever that may be. We have to get involved. That’s my answer.”
Howard directed the 2020 Netflix film, starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close and based on Vance’s 2016 book, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and a Culture in Crisis.
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Both “40 Year Old Vance” and “Hillbilly Elegy” have been the subject of criticism since their release in 2016, with many writers and critics arguing that Vance misrepresents the culture.
“Hillbilly Elegy reads like a sympathetic Hollywood outsider looking in to assuage the guilt of white liberals. By ignoring the very specific politics and personal observations that make the book a valuable memoir, the film denies its very reason for existence,” film writer Scott Mendelsohn wrote in a review for Forbes at the time.
Despite these criticisms, the book and film were commercially successful, with the former reaching number one on the New York Times bestseller list and the film topping Netflix’s most-watched list upon release.
On July 15, it was announced that Vance would be Donald Trump’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election. Vance will face off against Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in the vice presidential debate on October 1, moderated by CBS News’ Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell.