As an aspiring film director, I have long dreamed of the day when I will finally “make it” in Hollywood. I have already written my acceptance speech for my first Oscar award. Call me naïve if you wish, maybe a dreamer, or a silly child. I understand your point of view.
Of course, I won’t be able to put your name into the credits.
I want to tell stories through film. I want to tell interesting, compelling stories that touch people’s lives. I don’t want to limit myself by promoting any specific agenda or social world view. I just want to tell a great story. From the tear jerker that wins awards to the ridiculous action flick where explosions abound and great one liners role off the tongue. From the story you can take your children or parents to see and not be embarrassed or offended, to the comedy that would make my mother roll her eyes. If the story is worth telling, I’d love to tell it.
For nearly 30 years of my life I was resigned to believe that these dreams were merely that; dreams. I never considered for a moment that they were plausible. As a result, I decided I should move on and “grow up.” After all, I have no pedigree in the film industry. I don’t have a pedigree at all, having never attended college. I married young and had a child young. My film maker fantasies had no place in the grown-up world.
Hollywood, after all, was for the Liberals.
Then, to my surprised, I turned on the RNC on Thursday night and there was one of my favorite directors, Clint Eastwood, talking to an empty chair. I had no idea he was going to be speaking that night and a smile instantly appeared of my face when I saw his old mug. I had not heard a single word yet and I thought his presentation was one of the best. Then Dirty Harry innocently began to admonish the current President. I laughed nearly the entire time he was on stage.
Clint Eastwood is a conservative. Wow.
I could go into his politics. I could quote his best lines of the night like, “We all know Biden is the intellect of the Democratic party. Kind of a grin with a body behind it.” I could talk about how silly the attempts are to call that speech racist. I could, but I’ll leave that to someone else.
The part of his speech that got me the most excited had very little to do with the upcoming election: “I know what you’re thinking, what is a movie tradesman doing out here? You know they’re all left wingers– left of Lennon. At least that’s what people think. But that’s not really the case. There are a lot of conservative people, a lot of moderate people, Republicans and Democrats in Hollywood. It’s just that conservative people, by the nature of the word itself, play it a little more closer to the vest. They don’t go around hot-dogging it. But they’re there. They are there.”
Conservatives in Hollywood? I thought I’d have a better chance to find a snowman in Hell.
I always thought Hollywood was a Liberal fortress, impenetrable to the forces of the conservative movement. It was my belief that if I wanted to tell stories through film, I would have to change who I was to fit in, or to settle for making low-budget, low quality films that no industry professional would respect. I didn’t want to make films unless I had the means to do them well. So, I naturally thought I would have to give up.
Then I listened as one of the most famous and well respected men in all of Hollywood told me conservatives existed is his world. They might be hiding in plain sight, but they are there. Like the walls of Troy, there is always a way in. If you are like me, and dream of one day making it either as an actor, director, or any other industry professional, don’t give up hope. We have advocates standing in the gap for us, waiting to pass the reins on to a new era of conservative film makers and actors.
I want to rise up and take the torch. I want to show the “hot-doggers” that we too have a voice. We have money we will spend to see movies that match our views. We won’t stand by and be indoctrinated with their opinions as though they are the only ones that exist. We will not let them hold this ground any longer.
Clint Eastwood put the entire realm of Hollywood on notice: we are already there. More of us are coming. And we can change the world.
The Liberals can keep their Sean “I-hate-America” Penn.
We have Dirty Harry. And Chuck Norris.
