‘Surprised and concerned’: No, Ron Howard doesn’t support J.D. Vance just because he directed ‘Hillbilly Elegy’
Ron Howard may have directed the film adaptation of J. D. Vance’s memoir Hillbilly Elegy, but he has made it clear he’s not voting for Donald Trump and Vance in the upcoming election.
Howard directed Hillbilly Elegy for Netflix four years ago, on which Vance served as an executive producer. The film delves into Vance’s family history, with Amy Adams portraying his mother, Beverly Vance, and Glenn Close portraying his grandmother, Bonnie Vance. Hillbilly Elegy was panned by viewers who criticized its melodramatic nature and promotion of stereotypes about people experiencing poverty, although Close did offer an award-winning performance as Bonnie.
In an interview with CBS, Howard explained that he intended the movie to be a family drama. He acknowledged that critics may have been looking at the “political thematics” but claimed such thematics “aren’t really reflected, or are not front and center, in this story.” Since then, he has opened up further about his experience working with Vance and what he thinks of Vance serving as Trump’s running mate.
What Ron Howard thinks of J.D. Vance and Donald Trump’s campaign
During a recent interview with Variety, Howard addressed Vance’s and Trump’s presidential campaign. He stated, “I have been surprised and concerned by a lot of the rhetoric coming out of that campaign.” Additionally, he made it very clear that he does not support Trump, and his running mate would never change that fact. Howard concluded his statement by urging people to vote but to be careful and thoughtful before they put their votes in. He stated:
There’s no version of me voting for Donald Trump to be president again, whoever the vice president was. Look, we gotta get out and vote, for whomever. But be thoughtful. Listen to what the candidates are saying today—that’s what’s really relevant. It’s who they are today. And make a decision—an informed one.
In a separate interview with Deadline, Howard explained a little more why he was “surprised” by Vance’s current political career. When he worked with Vance on Hillbilly Elegy, he claimed they never discussed politics much, as he was mostly interested in Vance’s childhood and not the political aspects of his book. However, the conversations that they did have never gave him an indication of Vance’s current extreme rhetoric. Howard stated, “When we spoke around the time that I knew him, he was not involved in politics or claimed to be particularly interested. So that was then.” He believes that Vance has changed significantly since the filming of Hillbilly Elegy, which is why Howard is so “very surprised and disappointed by much of the rhetoric” he heard from him and Trump.
Howard isn’t the only one to highlight Vance’s shifting attitudes. After all, Vance was notably anti-Trump in the past, having compared Trump to Hitler before he got deep into the MAGA movement. Howard’s statements shed further light on Vance’s transformation and how corruptive the MAGA movement is. Additionally, his statement reiterates that voters need to evaluate Vance for who he is now rather than the version of him in Hillbilly Elegy.
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