Ron Howard who directed the Netflix adaptation of J.D. Vance’s bestselling book “Hillbilly Elegy” distanced himself from the Republican vice presidential nominee.

Before he was picked to be former President Donald J. Trump’s running mate or was elected to the U.S. Senate, the Ohio Republican came from humble beginnings in Appalachia which Howard detailed in the 2020 movie that drew high praise.

But now that Vance has joined Trump, who is despised by Hollywood degenerates, the inspiring story of a man who overcame a difficult situation in his early life with the help of his beloved grandmother is being dismissed, with Howard telling Deadline that he’s “disappointed” in the author who he said has changed.

(Video Credit: Netflix)

“You made an underdog story about a poor young man from a dysfunctional family with a grandmother who would not let him fail,” stated the outlet which caught up with the director at the Toronto International Film Festival. “He has evolved from that young man into a polarizing, volatile conservative. I’m sure people have said to you, ‘Ron, what have you unleashed?’ How do you process that?”

“Well, we didn’t talk a lot of politics when we were making the movie because I was interested in his upbringing and that survival tale. That’s what we mostly focused on. However, based on the conversations that we had during that time, I just have to say I’m very surprised and disappointed by much of the rhetoric that I’m reading and hearing,” Howard responded.

“People do change, and I assume that’s the case. Well, it’s on record. 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. I think the important thing is to recognize what’s going on today and to vote,” he added. “And so that’s my answer.”

“It’s not really about a movie made five or six years ago. It is, but we need to respond to what we’re seeing, hearing, feeling now, and vote responsibly, whatever that is., We must participate. That’s my answer,” he said.

In another interview, with showbiz outlet Variety, Howard indicated that like the rest of Tinseltown, he’s voting for Kamala Harris while also expressing his surprise about Vance.

(Video Credit: Variety)

“I have been surprised and concerned by a lot of the rhetoric coming out of that campaign,” he said. “There’s no version of me voting for Donald Trump to be President again, whoever the Vice President was. But given the experience that I had then 5, 6 years ago. Yeah, I’d say that I’ve been surprised. And look, we gotta get out and vote, for whomever.”

In 2022, Howard told Variety that he was also “surprised” that Vance had “embraced” Trump during his Senate campaign.

“To be honest, I was surprised,” he said. “When I was getting to know J.D., we didn’t talk politics because I wasn’t interested in that about his life. I was interested in his childhood and navigating the particulars of his family and his culture so that’s what we focused on in our conversation. To me, he struck me as a very moderate center-right kind of guy.”

The 70-year-old Academy Award-winning director who first became known to America as little Opie Taylor in “The Andy Griffith Show” is promoting his new movie “Eden,” starring Sydney Sweeney and Jude Law.

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Chris Donaldson

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Chris Donaldson is an ordinary American who is concerned about rampant corruption as well as the ongoing attacks on our way of life by those who have contempt for our hard-earned freedoms. A Navy veteran, he has been a frequent contributor to conservative websites and resides in Florida.

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