‘Very good actor’: Woody Allen wants to direct Trump again; recalls 1998 cameo in Celebrity

Filmmaker Woody Allen has said he wishes to direct US president Donald Trump again, more than two decades after casting him in the 1998 film Celebrity. Speaking on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast, Allen, called Trump “a pleasure to work with” and described him as “very professional and charismatic” in front of the camera.“I’m one of the few people who can say he directed Trump. I directed Trump,” Allen recalled. “He was a pleasure to work with and a very good actor. He was very polite, hit his mark, did everything correctly and had a real flair for show business. I could direct him now. If he would let me direct him now that he’s president, I think I could do wonders,” Allen said. Trump had a cameo in Celebrity, playing himself in a short scene about real estate.

The director, however, made clear that he did not support Trump politically. He said he voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and disagrees with “99%” of Trump’s views. Allen added that he was surprised Trump chose politics at all, given his earlier interests in sports, golf and beauty contests. He said, “I’m surprised he wanted to go into politics. Politics is nothing but headaches and critical decisions and agony. This was a guy I used to see at the Knick games, and he liked to play golf, and he liked to judge beauty contests and he liked to do things that were enjoyable and relaxing. Why anyone would want to suddenly have to deal with the issues of politics is beyond me.” Despite his differences, Allen summed up Trump’s acting in positive terms, saying he was “pleasant to work, and very professional, very polite to everyone. Very, you know, as I say, I would like to direct him now as president and let me make the decisions. But that’s not gonna happen.”