One of President Donald Trump’s better qualities flies far under the radar. He doesn’t hold a grudge. That’s especially true when there’s a greater good in play.
Then-candidate Trump sparred aggressively with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly during the 2016 campaign. Late last year, Kelly endorsed Trump, speaking at a MAGA rally days before the Nov. 5 election.
The president once dubbed a presidential rival “Little” Marco Rubio. That politician is currently Trump’s trusted Secretary of State.
Now, Trump wants to make amends with Hollywood, an industry that loathes him with the heat of a thousand suns. This act of forgiveness dwarfs them all, but Trump sees movies as a vital part of the nation’s soft power as well as a critical industry.
<div id="attachment_877383" style="width: 873px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-877383" class="size-large wp-image-877383" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-877916002-863x576.jpg" alt="HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 06: Donald Trump star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California on Dec. 6, 2016." width="863" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-877916002-863x576.jpg 863w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-877916002-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-877916002-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-877916002-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-877916002-2048x1368.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-877916002-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-877916002-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 863px) 100vw, 863px" />shalunts. Getty Images.</div>
It’s why Hollywood should swallow hard and play nice with President Trump. Or, at the very least, lend him its collective ear.
Trump’s shocking outreach began with, what else, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-movie-industry-is-dying-puts-plan-in-place-to-save-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a social media post</a>. He promised 100% tariffs on movies made outside of the U.S.
<blockquote>I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands,” he added. “WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!&#8221;</blockquote>
All heck broke loose in La La Land, with entertainment news outlets spinning furiously against the vague proposal.
Call it Trump’s opening volley, part of the president’s knack for starting with big claims and negotiating from there. It’s similar to Trump’s earlier announcement that movie superstars Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight would form a group of “Ambassadors” to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-appoints-a-list-stars-as-ambassadors-to-hollywood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revive the flailing film industry.</a>
<blockquote>It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!</blockquote>
Except the news seemed to have caught the trio by surprise and, only recently, did one of the actors, Voight, step forward with <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/jon-voight-trump-hollywood-tariff-1236390109/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concrete plans</a> on making Hollywood great again.
<a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/05/07/nx-s1-5389865/trump-movie-tariffs-jon-voight-tax-incentives-hollywood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NPR described Voight’s vision</a> as “federal tax incentives, co-production treaties with other countries and subsidies for theater owners and film and TV production companies.”
<div id="attachment_861225" style="width: 987px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-861225" class="size-large wp-image-861225" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Jon-Voight-977x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 19: Actor Jon Voight speaks at Donald Trump's victory rally on January 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. U.S. President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will be sworn in on January 20. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)" width="977" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Jon-Voight-977x576.jpg 977w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Jon-Voight-300x177.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Jon-Voight-768x453.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Jon-Voight.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 977px) 100vw, 977px" />Scott Olson/Getty Images</div>
The “Midnight Cowboy” star acknowledged the rift between Trump and Hollywood, adding that it shouldn&#8217;t distract from the big picture.
“I think he’s been treated unfairly. I think I have too. But what’s the difference? Who cares?” Voight asks. “I mean, there’s been a battle, but now it’s time to put that aside. And I must say, in all of the interactions we’ve had [on addressing runaway production], politics has never come up. Never.”
Hollywood, Inc. would be foolish not to listen.
Yes, the box office came roaring back in recent weeks, courtesy of hits like “Sinners” and “A Minecraft Movie.” That doesn’t camouflage the sizable issues confronting movie studios, from the death of the modern movie star to escalating film budgets.
Case in point? The upcoming “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” has a <a href="https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2025/3/25/mission-impossible-8-has-a-400m-budget" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$400 million budget</a>, meaning it will have to dramatically out-perform the best films in the series to make a profit.
Hollywood’s problems would make a depressing feature.
Film and TV productions have been fleeing Los Angeles for some time. Streaming platforms have proven to be far less profitable than hoped, with Netflix emerging as the strongest money maker for now.
The DVD/Blu-ray gravy train slowed some time ago, removing a safety net for films that didn’t catch fire at theaters.
Dueling 2023 strikes hurt the industry more than anticipated, and the threat of A.I. to the creative community looms in the not-so-distant future. Social media, YouTube and other distractions now dominate the culture, making young consumers <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/deloitte-gen-z-creator-content-streaming-price-1236171227/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less invested in Hollywood product</a>.
Meanwhile, California Democrats are <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-05-06/newsom-called-for-a-federal-tax-incentive-to-save-hollywood-but-will-that-actually-happen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scrambling to prevent productions</a> from leaving the City of Angels for more receptive states and countries. That’s left countless Calif.-based crew members desperate for work. <a href="https://variety.com/2025/biz/news/new-york-film-subsidy-jersey-1236392167/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York just followed suit</a>.
Hollywood players hate Trump so much some wish they could erase his presence from pop culture of yore. “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/home-alone-2-director-trump-cameo-removed-1236369779/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">director said just that about Trump’s seconds-long cameo</a> in his 1992 film.
<div id="attachment_908099" style="width: 832px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-908099" class="size-large wp-image-908099" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Donald-Trump-Macauley-Culkin-822x576.jpg" alt="Macaulay Culkin" width="822" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Donald-Trump-Macauley-Culkin-822x576.jpg 822w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Donald-Trump-Macauley-Culkin-300x210.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Donald-Trump-Macauley-Culkin-768x538.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Donald-Trump-Macauley-Culkin.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 822px) 100vw, 822px" />Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images</div>
Others have alternately <a href="https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/louis-c-k-donald-trump-insane-bigot-dangerous-1201723679/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dubbed him Hitler</a> or <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/celebrities-wished-trump-dead/">wished him dead</a>. That sentiment may be hard to overcome.
The perfect storm of problems facing Hollywood may be too much for any presidential plan to solve. Gen Z’s drift away from movie watching can’t be assuaged by new policies. Stars still insist on <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/fantastic-four-rachel-zegler-problem/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">insulting potential customers</a>, from “Snow White’s” Rachel Zegler to the cast of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
The two sides need to put aside their differences for the greater good. A healthy film market impacts more than just studio executives, theater owners and various crew members.
Hollywood movies send a message to the world. Films like “The Pursuit of Happyness” (2006) showcase the power of the American capitalist system. Others promote values like individual liberty (2012’s “Still Mine”) and triumphs over adversity (2016’s “Hidden Figures”).
It’s why China invests so heavily in its movie industry. The Communist nation wants to put the nation’s best foot forward on the big screen, removing sequences from foreign films that cast the country in a negative light.
President Trump may not make Hollywood great again. He could help the industry thrive against all odds.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Trump Wants To Make Hollywood Great Again — Will The Industry Listen?

California

Entertainment

Film

Hollywood

Jon Voight

Los Angeles

Mel Gibson

Movies

Netflix

New York City

President Trump

Sylvester Stallone

Mel Gibson is reportedly “flattered” by the news that he&#8217;s the leading Republican candidate to run for California Governor in a new straw poll, but will not be throwing his hat in the ring.
A source close to the 69-year-old actor told <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/03/18/mel-gibson-flattered-california-governor-poll-favorability/">TMZ</a> that the “Braveheart” star is “flattered” by getting 12% in the poll amid a recall effort to remove Democrat CA Governor Gavin Newsom following the massive wildfires in southern California, rising crime, and more. But the source also made it clear that Gibson has no interest in the job.
In the Wednesday straw poll from The Lost Coast Outpost, Gibson leads Republicans, beating out Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco who received 11% of the vote, after becoming the only notable Republican candidate to enter the race. Former Vice President Kamala Harris and former congresswoman Katie Porter received 20% and 25% percent of the vote in the same poll that was taken among 2,640 respondents.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Mel Gibson &#8216;Flattered&#8217; by Governor Poll Favorability, but Has Zero Interest | Click to read more 👇 <a href="https://t.co/sCL7fRyuwY">https://t.co/sCL7fRyuwY</a>
— TMZ (@TMZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/TMZ/status/1902039951039926627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;He&#8217;s sticking with his day job for now,&#8221; Gibson&#8217;s publicist, Alan Nierob, told the <a href="https://californiaglobe.com/fr/exclusive-mel-gibson-confirms-to-globe-he-isnt-running-for-governor/">California Globe</a> following weeks of speculation.
Gibson recently spoke out at a Newsom recall event and blasted the governor over his &#8220;gross mismanagement&#8221; of the state following the devastating wildfires.
During a <a href="https://x.com/TONYxTWO/status/1894948199934079110">press conference</a> in Los Angeles, Gibson told the crowd that both Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had let them down after the actor became one of the numerous people who lost their homes in the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire.
“Governor Newsom and Karen Bass let us all down,” Gibson said, pointing out how much California residents pay in taxes. “Now for that kind of money, we deserve much more and much better, and there is absolutely no adequate excuse the governor or mayor can make for this gross mismanagement and failure to preemptively deal with what they knew was coming.”
“Was it incompetence? Was it indifference, complacency, carelessness? Was it negligence? Absolutely,” he added, asking the crowd if the mayor or governor “give a damn about you,” to which the crowd replied, “no.” “Newsom … has brought us nothing but rampant crime, acute homelessness, horrendous inflation.”
“I mean, the industry I work in, the film industry, this used to be the Mecca of filmdom. It is no more. All of my fellow citizens who have lost their homes, they have no recourse, no insurance payouts because the carriers dropped them,” Gibson continued, per The <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/mel-gibson-slams-mayor-bass-governor-newsom-altadena-press-conference-1236148644/">Hollywood Reporter</a>. 
“Even the carriers realized that California was ill-prepared and had scant resources to deal with the inevitable fires. They knew that. So are we supposed to believe that our elected officials didn’t know that? Of course they knew that. Of course.”
The event, which was organized by <a href="https://savingcalifornia.vote/">Saving California</a>, is focused on recalling Newsom and fixing the state’s economy, per its website.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mel-gibson-blasts-newsom-at-recall-event-for-governor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mel Gibson Blasts Newsom At Recall Event For Governor</a>

Mel Gibson ‘Flattered’ By Report He’s Leading Republican In California Governor’s Race

Celebrities

Gavin Newsom

governor

Republican

Mel Gibson blasted Democrat California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, calling for the recall of the governor over his “gross mismanagement” of the state, especially when it comes to the massive wildfires in Southern California.
During a <a href="https://x.com/TONYxTWO/status/1894948199934079110">press conference</a> in Los Angeles, the 69-year-old actor told the crowd that both Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass let them down after Gibson became one of the numerous people who lost their homes in the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire.
“Governor Newsom and Karen Bass let us all down,” Gibson said, pointing out how much California residents pay in taxes. “Now for that kind of money, we deserve much more and much better, and there is absolutely no adequate excuse the governor or mayor can make for this gross mismanagement and failure to preemptively deal with what they knew was coming.”
“Was it incompetence? Was it indifference, complacency, carelessness? Was it negligence? Absolutely,” he added, asking the crowd if the mayor or governor “give a damn about you,” to which the crowd replied, &#8220;no.&#8221; “Newsom … has brought us nothing but rampant crime, acute homelessness, horrendous inflation.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Mel Gibson speaks at Newsom recall event 🔥
“Governor Newsom and Karen Bass let us all down.”
“There is absolutely no adequate excuse the Governor or Mayor can make for this gross mismanagement and failure to preemptively deal with what they knew was coming.” <a href="https://t.co/jwH61x4EYG">pic.twitter.com/jwH61x4EYG</a>
— TONY™ (@TONYxTWO) <a href="https://twitter.com/TONYxTWO/status/1894948199934079110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
“I mean, the industry I work in, the film industry, this used to be the Mecca of filmdom. It is no more. All of my fellow citizens who have lost their homes, they have no recourse, no insurance payouts because the carriers dropped them,” Gibson continued, per The <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/mel-gibson-slams-mayor-bass-governor-newsom-altadena-press-conference-1236148644/">Hollywood Reporter</a>. “Even the carriers realized that California was ill-prepared and had scant resources to deal with the inevitable fires. They knew that. So are we supposed to believe that our elected officials didn’t know that? Of course they knew that. Of course.”
At one point, “The Passion of the Christ” director praised the firefighters who worked hard to try and save the homes.
“The firefighters, I have to say they were practically in tears. You know why? Because they thought they had let us down,” Gibson said. “I want to say loudly right here: You did not let us down.”
The event, which was organized by <a href="https://savingcalifornia.vote/">Saving California</a>, is focused on recalling Newsom and fixing the state’s economy, per its website.
In January, Gibson opened up about how he wasn’t even in town when the fires consumed his Malibu home because he was in Austin, Texas, recording an episode with Joe Rogan for “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/your-heart-just-breaks-jeff-bridges-mel-gibson-and-others-become-latest-to-lose-homes-in-fires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“I was doing the Rogan podcast. … And [I was] kind of ill at ease while we were talking, because I knew my neighborhood was on fire, so I thought, I wonder if my place is still there. But when I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there,” Gibson said. “I went home and I said to myself, well, at least I haven’t got any of those pesky plumbing problems anymore.”
The actor admitted he was still dealing with the “devastating” impact of losing the home that he’d lived in for more than a decade.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/your-heart-just-breaks-jeff-bridges-mel-gibson-and-others-become-latest-to-lose-homes-in-fires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Your Heart Just Breaks’: Jeff Bridges, Mel Gibson, And Others Become Latest To Lose Homes In Fires</a>

Mel Gibson Blasts Newsom At Recall Event For Governor

Karen Bass

U.S.

Wildfires

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mel-gibson">Director Mel Gibson</a>’s latest film, “Flight Risk,” soared to number one at the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">box office</a> over the weekend, bringing in $12 million in total sales.
January is typically a slow month for new releases, which explains why Gibson’s new film was able to top the list even with relatively low earnings. “Flight Risk” is a thriller starring Mark Wahlberg as a pilot flying an Air Marshal (Michelle Dockery) and fugitive (Topher Grace) across Alaska. It was released by Lionsgate on Friday.
The live-action Disney film “Mufasa” came in second place at $8.7 million, per <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/01/box-office-flight-risk-mel-gibson-mark-wahlberg-mufasa-1236266398/">Deadline</a>, while the comedy “One of Them Days” came in third with $8 million. The Oscar-nominated, three-and-a-half-hour-long drama “The Brutalist” also had its wide release despite the film’s director <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brutalist-brady-corbet-adrien-brody-bc457293c519485da578762d0e21a2c4">saying</a> it had been called “un-distributable.” That movie brought in $6 million.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Flight Risk (2025) Official Trailer #2 - Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery, Topher Grace" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cml3CFDBj2s?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“Flight Risk” <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/flight_risk_2024">has</a> a 25% critic score and a 63% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. 
“If you like Mark [Wahlberg] as an actor, this movie was good … he played the part well. Overall it was entertaining,” one audience reviewer said.
“Liked the drama, suspense and storyline,” another verified Rotten Tomatoes audience reviewer wrote.
Gibson’s last big project was “Hacksaw Ridge” in 2016. He’s currently working on the highly anticipated sequel to “The Passion of the Christ” (2004) and was recently named an “ambassador to Hollywood” a few days before Donald Trump&#8217;s inauguration.
“It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-appoints-a-list-stars-as-ambassadors-to-hollywood">reported</a>. “They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”
The director gave an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mel-gibson-gives-update-on-passion-of-the-christ-sequel-its-an-acid-trip">update</a> on progress being made on the “Passion” sequel earlier this month, which is slated to begin filming next year.
Gibson called the film “an acid trip” and “very ambitious.”

Mel Gibson and Mark Wahlberg’s ‘Flight Risk’ Hits Number One At Box Office

Mel Gibson and Mark Wahlberg’s 'Flight Risk' Hits Number One At Box Office

Box Office

Mark Wahlberg

President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is appointing multiple legendary Hollywood actors as &#8220;special ambassadors&#8221; to Hollywood.
Those special ambassadors will be Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113839243472952784">said</a>. All three actors are conservative and have appeared publicly with Trump or praised him publicly in the past. Stallone, for example, praised Trump as &#8220;the second George Washington&#8221; while introducing him at the America First Policy Gala in Palm Beach in November.
&#8220;It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California,&#8221; Trump wrote in a Thursday Truth Social post. &#8220;They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!&#8221;
<div id="attachment_859805" style="width: 876px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-appoints-a-list-stars-as-ambassadors-to-hollywood/france-the-homesman-premiere-67th-cannes-film-festival" rel="attachment wp-att-859805"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-859805" class="wp-image-859805 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-535965118-866x576.jpg" alt="" width="866" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-535965118-866x576.jpg 866w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-535965118-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-535965118-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-535965118-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-535965118-2048x1363.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-535965118-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-535965118-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" /></a>(Photo by Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!&#8221;
The actors&#8217; support for Trump is particularly significant given the strong anti-Trump sentiment voiced by many Hollywood progressives, such as George Clooney, who embrace politicians like former President Barack Obama.
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&#8220;When George Washington defended his country, he had no idea that he was going to change the world,&#8221; Stallone <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/11/15/sylvester-stallone-trump-election-george-washington/76327624007/">said of Trump in November</a>. &#8220;&#8216;Cause without him, you can imagine what the world would look like. Guess what, we got the second George Washington.&#8221;
Gibson, who has been pictured with Trump on a number of occasions in the past, shared that he was voting for Trump in October, <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/news/mel-gibson-kamala-harris-fence-post-trump-1236190421/">telling paparazzi of Kamala Harris</a>: &#8220;I know what it’ll be like if we let her in. And that ain’t good. Miserable track record. No policies to speak of. She’s got the IQ of a fence post.”
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<div id="gpt-variety-article-mid-article-uid0" class=" adw-300 adh-250" data-is-adhesion-ad="" data-google-query-id="CKi1r4Tq-ooDFYPglAkd6NcJTQ"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-appoints-a-list-stars-as-ambassadors-to-hollywood/screenshot-2025-01-16-at-12-07-44-pm" rel="attachment wp-att-859799"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-859799 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Screenshot-2025-01-16-at-12.07.44%E2%80%AFPM-485x576.png" alt="" width="485" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Screenshot-2025-01-16-at-12.07.44%E2%80%AFPM-485x576.png 485w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Screenshot-2025-01-16-at-12.07.44%E2%80%AFPM-253x300.png 253w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Screenshot-2025-01-16-at-12.07.44%E2%80%AFPM.png 607w" sizes="(max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px" /></a></div>
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<div data-is-adhesion-ad="" data-google-query-id="CKi1r4Tq-ooDFYPglAkd6NcJTQ">Voight has been a <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/news/jon-voight-trump-support-israel-palestine-angelina-jolie-1236080058/">strong Trump supporter</a>, since Trump first announced his candidacy in 2015, and has compared Trump to Richard the Lionheart and Abraham Lincoln.</div>
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21st Annual Huading Global Film Awards – Show

Trump Appoints A-List Stars As Ambassadors To Hollywood

Donald Trump

Jeff Bridges, Mel Gibson, and Milo Ventimiglia have become the latest <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anna-faris-adam-brody-mandy-moore-become-latest-celebs-to-lose-homes-in-socal-fires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrities</a> to share the heartbreaking news that they’ve lost their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires.
Bridges&#8217; representative <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/jeff-bridges-family-home-malibu-destroyed-palisades-fire-1236105814/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> to The Hollywood Reporter that the Palisades home he shares with his siblings, that originally belonged to his parents, has burned to the ground as firefighters continue to deal with high winds in the area that forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in multiple wildfires in Southern California.
The “Big Lebowski” star primarily lives with his wife Susan Geston at their Santa Barbara home, THR noted.
Actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hE9VvdUXf8">NewsNation</a> he wasn’t even in town when the fires consumed his Malibu home because he was in Austin, Texas, recording an episode with Joe Rogan for “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Mel Gibson shared in a NewsNation interview that his Malibu home burnt down in the fires — but his chickens survived.
&#8220;We gave them some grain and some water and they’re happy and laying eggs and stuff. So there you go, they weren’t roast chickens.” <a href="https://t.co/9fv1yNsO4t">https://t.co/9fv1yNsO4t</a> <a href="https://t.co/drqB6aWFV3">pic.twitter.com/drqB6aWFV3</a>
— Variety (@Variety) <a href="https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1877704480063361347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
“I was doing the Rogan podcast. … And [I was] kind of ill at ease while we were talking, because I knew my neighborhood was on fire, so I thought, I wonder if my place is still there. But when I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there,” Gibson said. “I went home and I said to myself, well, at least I haven’t got any of those pesky plumbing problems anymore.”
The 69-year-old actor admitted he was still dealing with the “devastating” impact of losing the home that he’d lived in for more than a decade.
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“It is obviously, it’s kind of devastating. It’s emotional,” the famed actor said. “You live there for a long time, and you had all your stuff. You remember George Carlin talking about your stuff? I had my stuff there, and it’s all like, I’ve been relieved from the burden of my stuff, because it’s all in cinders.”
Gibson remarked on the destruction left by the fire and said he’d never “seen a place so perfectly burnt. You could put it in an urn … I’ve never seen such complete burn.”
“It’s like someone did it on purpose to really destroy every aspect of it,” the actor said. “My place looked like Dresden. It’s emotional and I lived there for about 14, 15 years, so it was home to me. I had a lot of personal things there I can’t get back.”
Actor Milo Ventimiglia and his pregnant wife Jarah Mariano, also lost their Malibu home. Ventimiglia said that his “heart just breaks” thinking of the memories they were going to have in the home, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/milo-ventimiglia-pregnant-wife-lose-malibu-home-la-wildfires-1236105865/">THR</a> noted.
“I think there’s a kind of shock moment where you’re going, ‘Oh, this is real and this is happening,’ and then at a certain point, we just turn it off,” the 47-year-old actor said. “It’s like, what good is it to continue watching, you know. We kind of accepted the loss.”
“You start thinking about all the memories in different parts of the house and whatnot, and then you see your neighbors’ houses and everything kind of around, and your heart just breaks,” he <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/this-is-us-star-milo-ventimiglia-loses-home-los-angeles-fires/">added</a>. “We got good friends and we got good people we&#8217;re working with and we&#8217;ll make do. Wife and baby and dog, most important.”
Wife of the late TV producer Aaron Spelling, Candy Spelling, said the home they owned for 50 years was gone, <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/01/09/jeff-bridges-candy-spelling-lose-homes-los-angeles-wildfires/">TMZ noted</a>.
“I’m in shock and processing this massive loss for our family,” Spelling said. “I am beyond grateful for the memories. It was truly a wonderful gift to have.”
Other celebrities like James Woods, Billy Crystal, Anna Faris, Ricki Lake, Cameron Mathison, and so many others have also shared the sad news that nothing was left of their homes due to the fires, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/everything-is-gone-celebrities-post-about-losing-their-homes-in-california-fires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/everything-is-gone-celebrities-post-about-losing-their-homes-in-california-fires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Everything Is Gone’: Celebrities Post About Losing Their Homes In California Fires</a>

2024 Disney Upfront

‘Your Heart Just Breaks’: Jeff Bridges, Mel Gibson, And Others Become Latest To Lose Homes In Fires

Fire

Jeff Bridges

Natural Disaster

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mel-gibson">Mel Gibson</a> gave an update on his upcoming <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">sequel</a> to the hit 2004 movie “The Passion of the Christ,” saying filming could begin in 2026.
The 69-year-old actor, director, and writer discussed his plans during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast this week. “I’m hoping next year sometime. There’s a lot required because it’s an acid trip,” Gibson said of the project. He noted that he’s “never read anything like” the script, which he worked on for more than six years along with screenwriter Randall Wallace.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Joe Rogan Experience #2254 - Mel Gibson" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1rYtrS5IbrQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The title will be “The Resurrection of the Christ,” he confirmed.
“My brother and I and Randall all sort of congregated on this. So there’s some good heads put together, but there’s some crazy stuff,” Gibson went on. “And I think in order to really tell the story properly you have to start with the fall of the angels, which means you’re in another place, you’re in another realm. You need to go to hell.”
The filmmaker confirmed that he plans to have actor Jim Caviezel reprise his role as Jesus. Gibson also said he might use “a few techniques” to de-age Caviezel since more than two decades have passed since the first film&#8217;s release, and the events will take place three days after “The Passion” ends, when Jesus rose from the dead following his crucifixion. 
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Gibson said the entire project was “very ambitious” and that the story will encompass “the fall of the angels to the death of the last apostle.”
“It’s about finding the way in that’s not cheesy or obvious,” he said. 
Gibson added, “I think I have ideas about how to do that and how to evoke things and emotions in people from the way you depict it, and the way you shoot it. So I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. It’s not going to be easy, and it’s going to require a lot of planning and I’m not wholly sure I can pull it off to tell you the truth, it’s really super ambitious. But I’ll take a crack at it because that’s what you got to do, right, walk up to the plate, right?”
&#8220;The Passion of the Christ&#8221; was a massive hit, earning $600 million against a $30 million budget.

Mel Gibson Gives Update On ‘Passion Of The Christ’ Sequel: ‘It’s An Acid Trip’

Mel Gibson Gives Update On 'Passion Of The Christ' Sequel

Joe Rogan

Hollywood star actor-director Mel Gibson offered a scathing opinion of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ intelligence.
In footage from TMZ, reporters asked Gibson whom he was voting for, which prompted Gibson’s harsh estimate of Harris. The brief conversation went as follows:
<blockquote>
TMZ: The president is being voted on in days, what&#8217;s your thoughts? 
Gibson: Oh man, that&#8217;s a big question. 
TMZ: What&#8217;s wrong?
Gibson: I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s going to surprise anyone who I vote for. 
TMZ: Well, so, I mean, I&#8217;m going to just, I&#8217;m going to guess, I&#8217;m going to guess&#8230; Trump. Is that a bad guess? 
Gibson: I think it&#8217;s a pretty good guess.
TMZ: Well, what do you think the world will be like in the second term? With the president&#8217;s second term?
Gibson: I know what it will be like if we let her in.
TMZ: Oh, really? 
Gibson: That ain&#8217;t good. Miserable track record, appalling track record, no policies to speak of.
TMZ: Yeah, and the border, right? 
Gibson: And she&#8217;s got the IQ of a fence post.
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
NEW: Actor Mel Gibson says Kamala Harris has the IQ of a &quot;fence post&quot; in footage obtained by <a href="https://twitter.com/TMZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TMZ</a>.
Gibson specifically called out Harris for her &quot;appalling&quot; track record.
Question: Who are you voting for? I&#39;m gonna guess. Trump. 
Gibson: I think that&#39;s a pretty good guess.… <a href="https://t.co/cJaHH9trEQ">pic.twitter.com/cJaHH9trEQ</a>
&mdash; Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1849587621246140851?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Gibson, 68, first gained public acclaim for his role in &#8220;Mad Max,&#8221; then took another leap forward with his role in Peter Weir’s &#8220;Gallipoli,&#8221; then starred in a series of hits including &#8220;Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior,&#8221; Weir’s &#8220;The Year Of Living Dangerously,&#8221; &#8220;The Bounty, and then the Lethal Weapon series,&#8221; followed by &#8220;The Patriot.&#8221; In 1993, he made his directorial debut with &#8220;The Man Without A Face,&#8221; then followed that with the Academy Award Best Picture &#8220;Braveheart,&#8221; for which he won an Academy Award as Best Director. In 2004, he directed the high-grossing &#8220;The Passion of The Christ,&#8221; and in 2016, directed &#8220;Hacksaw Ridge,&#8221; which garnered him another Oscar nomination as Best Director.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729077615157000&amp;usg=AOvVaw17Kprl74oE9DYOLREdiBPU">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28</a>
In July 2021, Gibson saluted Trump at a UFC match near Las Vegas as Trump walked through the crowd, The New York Post <a href="applewebdata://DFB574DC-AAD8-4456-8E50-612ED4B58966/v">reported</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Mel Gibson caught on camera saluting Trump at UFC match <a href="https://t.co/z9ApiPDhhy">https://t.co/z9ApiPDhhy</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZfFnStBMtT">pic.twitter.com/ZfFnStBMtT</a>
&mdash; New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1414965261300535297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Gibson is an outspoken opponent of abortion; speaking in 1990 to Barbara Walters, Gibson said: “God is the only one who knows how many children we should have, and we should be ready to accept them. One can&#8217;t decide for oneself who comes into this world and who doesn&#8217;t. That decision doesn&#8217;t belong to us.”

US-ENTERTAINMENT-FILM-MONSTER SUMMER

‘IQ Of A Fence Post’: Mel Gibson Rips Kamala, Says He’s Voting Trump

'IQ Of A Fence Post': Mel Gibson Rips Kamala, Says He's Voting Trump

2024 Election

Kamala Harris

Musician Jack White lashed out at celebrities who greeted former President Donald Trump at last weekend&#8217;s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 290 event in Las Vegas by saying that even briefly conversing with Trump is a step too far. 
White specifically called out podcast host Joe Rogan, director Mel Gibson, actor Mark Wahlberg, and celebrity chef Guy Fieri for greeting the former president and showing him “respect,” calling them “disgusting” human beings. The crowd that night had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ufc-crowd-cheers-as-trump-enters-packed-vegas-arena" target="_blank" rel="noopener">different feelings</a> toward Trump, as the former president entered the T-Mobile arena in Vegas with UFC President Dana White to much fanfare. 
“Anybody who ‘normalizes’ or treats this disgusting fascist, racist, con man, disgusting piece of s*** Trump with any level of respect is ALSO disgusting in my book,” White <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cuhbc6br2_D/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> to Instagram Monday. “That&#8217;s you Joe Rogan, you Mel Gibson, you Mark Wahlberg, you Guy Fieri.”
“This is a statement from me, not a discussion/debate,” White added. 
His post included photos of the celebrities with Trump at the UFC event, though it appears the image he included of Mel Gibson saluting the former president — in which White circled Gibson — is <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/07/13/mel-gibson-caught-on-camera-saluting-trump-at-ufc-match/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">actually</a> from the UFC 264 event two years ago. 
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Throughout Saturday night, Trump was photographed with Rogan, Gibson, and Fieri, and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meetthepressblog/trump-attends-ufc-fight-joe-rogan-roger-stone-mel-gibson-rcna93303" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> briefly chatted with Wahlberg. Trump&#8217;s meeting with Rogan caused a stir on social media, as many wondered whether a Trump appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” might be in the works. 
White, the former lead singer of The White Stripes, is not a new critic of Trump. After Twitter owner Elon Musk reinstated the former president’s account, White left the platform and criticized the move. 
“So you gave trump his twitter platform back. Absolutely disgusting, Elon,” White <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClMlNxWhtsM/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> to Instagram at the time. “That is officially an a**hole move.”
White went on in the post to claim Trump “incited violence” and blamed his “rhetoric” for breaking families apart. Musk <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-elon-musk-to-reinstate-trump-on-twitter-trump-has-repeatedly-stated-he-wont-come-back" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reinstated</a> Trump in November after 51.8% of users voted for it in a Twitter poll. “The people have spoken,” Musk tweeted. “Trump will be reinstated.”
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“That’s not &#8216;free speech&#8217; or &#8216;what the poll decided&#8217; or whatever nonsense you’re claiming it to be; this is straight up you trying to help a fascist have a platform so you can eventually get your tax breaks,” White claimed.  
White also posted a lengthy message on Instagram after Roe v. Wade was overturned last summer, <a href="https://americansongwriter.com/jack-white-takes-aim-at-donald-trump-christianity-and-supreme-court-abortion-decision-in-recent-instagram-post/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blaming</a> Trump and calling him an “unchecked egomaniac” partly because he nominated Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch, who each voted to overturn Roe.

Jack White

Musician Jack White Calls Joe Rogan And Mel Gibson ‘Disgusting’ For Speaking With Trump

Jack White Calls Joe Rogan And Mel Gibson ‘Disgusting’ For Speaking With Trump

UFC President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-is-f-america-what-we-can-learn-from-dana-whites-stand-against-cancel-culture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dana White</a> announced on Saturday that he had given his employees free tickets to see the movie &#8220;Sound of Freedom&#8221; — based on a true story about human trafficking.
White shared a video explaining that he had offered his staff the chance to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sound-of-freedom-takes-top-spot-at-box-office-on-fourth-of-july" target="_blank" rel="noopener">see the film</a>, and challenged other executives to do the same for their own employees. &#8220;YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE @SOFMovie2023,&#8221; White captioned the video he shared on Twitter.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE <a href="https://twitter.com/SOFMovie2023?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SOFMovie2023</a> <a href="https://t.co/vQ1ThcqW5d">pic.twitter.com/vQ1ThcqW5d</a>
&mdash; danawhite (@danawhite) <a href="https://twitter.com/danawhite/status/1677840090780028933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Hey, everybody, I&#8217;m Dana White,&#8221; he began. &#8220;There&#8217;s a new movie out called &#8216;The Sound of Freedom,&#8217; and it&#8217;s about human trafficking. More importantly, it&#8217;s about the trafficking of children. This is a disgusting, horrific issue that&#8217;s happening all around the world, and it&#8217;s not getting better, it&#8217;s getting worse.&#8221;
&#8220;What I&#8217;m going to do, is I&#8217;m going to give any of my UFC employees that want to see this movie free tickets to go see it, and I would like to encourage other executives to do the same at their companies,&#8221; he continued.
White then shared video of actor Mel Gibson — who has been promoting the film from the beginning — explaining why he believed the movie was so important.
&#8220;One of the most disturbing problems in our world today is human trafficking, and particularly the trafficking of children,&#8221; Gibson said. &#8220;Now, the first step in eradicating this crime is awareness. Go see &#8216;Sound of Freedom.'&#8221;
The film <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sound-of-freedom-film-based-on-a-true-story-exposes-horror-of-human-trafficking" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stars Jim Caviezel</a> – who played the role of Jesus in Gibson&#8217;s &#8220;The Passion of the Christ&#8221; — as Tim Ballard, a federal agent who quit his job to save a young girl from sex slavery in South America.
&#8220;After rescuing a young boy from ruthless child traffickers, a federal agent learns the boy’s sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death,&#8221; a press release stated.

UFC 290: Whittaker v Du Plessis

UFC President Gave His Employees Free Tix To ‘Sound Of Freedom,’ Encourages Others To Do The Same

UFC President Gave His Employees Free Tix To 'Sound Of Freedom,' Encourages Others To Do The Same

Dana White

Human Trafficking

Jim Caviezel

Filming is reportedly set to get underway in the next few months for the highly-anticipated sequel for &#8220;Passion of the Christ&#8221; with Mel Gibson working on multiple drafts of the screenplay.
The 67-year-old actor, director and producer has reportedly been working on the &#8220;The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection,&#8221; a sequel to the hit 2004 Gibson film, for nearly a decade, <a href="https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/entertainment/2023/january/mel-gibsons-passion-of-the-christ-sequel-resurrection-to-begin-production-this-spring">CBN News.com</a> reported.
&#8220;Gibson has been hard at work on the screenplay with &#8216;Braveheart&#8217; screenwriter Randall Wallace,&#8221; Veteran film journalist Jordan Ruimy shared.
&#8220;There have already been six drafts,&#8221; Ruimy added.  &#8220;&#8216;Resurrection&#8217; would focus on the twenty-four hours encompassing Jesus&#8217; passion and the events that occurred three days between his crucifixion and resurrection.&#8221;
Jim Caviezel will reportedly be reprising his role of Jesus along with several other original stars like Maia Morgenstern as Mary, Christo Jivkov as John, and Francesco De Vito as Peter, the outlet noted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&#39;More story to tell&#39;: Mel Gibson&#39;s Passion of the Christ sequel to begin filming in 2023<a href="https://t.co/foVyyWeXcW">https://t.co/foVyyWeXcW</a>
&mdash; Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) <a href="https://twitter.com/dcexaminer/status/1611926321369579525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In 2016, Wallace told the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/mel-gibson-planning-passion-christ-901299/">Hollywood Reporter</a> that the &#8220;evangelical community considers The Passion the biggest movie ever out of Hollywood, and they kept telling us that they think a sequel will be even bigger.&#8221;
&#8220;I always wanted to tell this story … The Passion is the beginning, and there&#8217;s a lot more story to tell,&#8221; he added.
Gibson previously talked about how big the subject was and said it was going to take some time to tell the story, the <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/mel-gibson-tells-greg-laurie-passion-of-the-christ-sequel-the-resurrection-may-be-next-movie-168722/">Christian Post</a> noted.
&#8220;It&#8217;s called The Resurrection,&#8221; the superstar shared at the time.  &#8220;Of course, that&#8217;s a very big subject and it needs to be looked at because we don&#8217;t want to just do a simple rendering of it — you know, read what happened.&#8221;
&#8220;But in order to read it, experience and explore probably deeper meanings of what it&#8217;s about, it&#8217;s going to take some doing and Randall Wallace is up to the task,&#8221; he added. &#8220;He is also, as well as a brilliant writer, he is a great director. He directed &#8216;We Were Soldiers&#8217; and &#8216;Heaven is for Real&#8217; and stuff. So, he is a good writer and director.&#8221;
The 2004 film was rated R and was a huge success, bringing in more than $600 million on just a $30 million budget, CBN News noted.

Passion of the Christ-2

Filming Will Soon Get Underway For ‘Passion Of The Christ’ Sequel: Report

Faith

Earlier this year, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bruce-willis-reveals-diagnosis-that-is-taking-him-out-of-the-hollywood-game" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bruce Willis retired from acting</a> after revealing his battle with aphasia, a medical condition that impacts a person’s speech patterns.
The announcement didn’t stop the flow of Willis projects in the pipeline, though.
“Wire Room” hit theaters in September and “Paradise City,” which teams him with screen legend John Travolta, is set for a November release.
We’re still waiting on three “Detective Knight” films with Willis playing the title character and a thriller dubbed “Die Like Lovers,” all completed before his announcement.
That’s on top of Willis’ 2022 release list, which includes “Wrong Place,” “White Elephant,” “Vendetta,” “Corrective Measures,” “A Day to Die,” “Gasoline Alley,” and “Fortress: Sniper’s Eye.”
They all have plenty in common: They’re action-packed, low-budget vehicles that draw little love from critics and let Willis shoot his scenes quickly and go. And each benefits from Willis’ star presence and fan base, commercially speaking.
And none will have a fraction of the cache he earned from “Die Hard,” “Pulp Fiction,” or “The Sixth Sense.”
Now, there’s another Hollywood icon who may be ready to take his place.
Mel Gibson’s A-list status collapsed in 2006 when video emerged of him shouting anti-Semitic slurs at police officers following a drunken driving arrest. More ugly headlines followed, including audio of the “Braveheart” star admitting to hitting his then-girlfriend.
Gibson stepped away from the spotlight, returning years later in a series of indie films that let him slowly build back his industry goodwill.
It worked.
He eventually snagged a prominent directorial project, 2016’s “Hacksaw Ridge,” a critical and commercial success which earned him an Oscar nomination. He didn’t win, but enough of the industry forgave him for his ugly past.
He’s currently directing and starring in the fifth film in the “Lethal Weapon” franchise and may helm the sequel to his box office sensation “The Passion of the Christ.”
Yet he’s suddenly one of Hollywood’s busiest stars in the Willis mold. He’s cranking out action films with smaller budgets that typically go straight to VOD (Video on Demand).
This year alone Gibson has eight feature films to his credit. Most traditional movie stars may have two or three films per year, at best. Stars like Denzel Washington work at a more leisurely pace, taking care to pick the best projects for their skill set.
Not Gibson. And only one has big studio packaging – “Father Stu” featuring Mark Wahlberg.
Most of the Gibson projects feel like films Willis might have considered had he kept on working. They’re genre films, brimming with action, intrigue and mayhem, and Gibson now often plays supporting players despite his Hollywood pedigree.
Take “Hot Seat,” the story of a talented hacker (“Entourage” alum Kevin Dillon) trapped to an explosives-laden chair. Gibson co-stars as a bomb squad cop trying to save the hacker.
Or “Bandit,” which follows a smooth criminal (Josh Duhamel) forced to collaborate with a gangster (Gibson) to support his new love (Elisha Cuthbert).
Why would iconic stars like Willis and Gibson wallow in the B-movie muck in the first place? 
Well, it’s a gig, for starters. These projects often pay well considering the tiny work load in question.
And, given Hollywood’s youth obsession, steady work into one’s 60s and beyond isn’t insignificant. Willis is 67, while Gibson turns 67 in January 2023.
Other established talent, like 58-year-old Nicolas Cage, similarly grab B-movie projects to keep busy and fatten their wallets. Cage famously did so, in part, after getting <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/nicolas-cage-defends-vod-films-debt-1235211377/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">collared by the IRS</a>.
<blockquote>“When I was doing four movies a year, back to back to back, I still had to find something in them to be able to give it my all … They didn’t work, all of them. Some of them were terrific, like ‘Mandy,’ but some of them didn’t work. But I never phoned it in. So if there was a misconception, it was that. That I was just doing it and not caring. I was caring.”</blockquote>
For Willis, his busy pace may have been to secure money for his family knowing his medical condition would soon prevent him from working.
Movie stars no longer sell tickets as they once did, witness star-laded bombs like the recent “Amsterdam.” Their names still matter on the international market, where many of these B-movies blossom, financially speaking.
They also help elevate lesser-known titles with names like “Bandit” and “Wire Room.”
There’s another difference between Willis’ late-career choices and the path Gibson may be following. Critics routinely noticed Willis phoning in his performances, citing the lack of enthusiasm he brought to these minor roles.
His health deterioration may be to blame here but given his past work it proved impossible not to compare and contrast.
That’s not the case with Gibson. <a href="https://filmthreat.com/reviews/hot-seat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Here’s FilmThreat’s take on “Hot Seat”</a> and what the “Max Max” star brings to the indie thriller.
<blockquote>&#8220;But really, acting-wise, it is Gibson who enlivens the proceedings. His constant viewing of everything as a chess game feels natural to the character, and the actor is clearly having fun with the fast-talking, smartest guy in the room part. Gibson is as charming as ever and proves what made him a superstar.&#8221;</blockquote>
Variety called the actor’s “Panama” &#8211; <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/panama-review-mel-gibson-1235206203/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Mel Gibson Movie of the Month Club</a> – but couldn’t deny the star’s screen presence against a younger colleague, “Yellowstone’s” Cole Hauser.
<blockquote>&#8220;Trouble is, Hauser can barely hold up his share of the bargain whenever he’s on screen opposite Gibson, even when the latter tones down, slightly, his propensity for wild-eyed, crazy-vibes scenery-chewing.&#8221;</blockquote>
Show business isn’t just a catch phrase. The term reveals the unglamorous side of Hollywood, and the cold realities even the best stars often face. The screen legacies of Willis, Gibson and Cage are just more proof of that truth.
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@HollywoodInToto</a>. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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