Director Ron Howard<\/span><\/a> seems to want to think about anything other than politics \u2014 especially when it comes to Vice President <\/span>JD Vance<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n In an interview published Wednesday, <\/span>Vulture<\/span><\/a> asked the filmmaker what he thinks about the legacy of his 2020 film, \u201cHillbilly Elegy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think about it,\u201d Howard said. \u201cI know it\u2019s a mixed bag and probably quite culturally divided. I also know that reviews were bad and the audience-reaction rating was pretty good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cHillbilly Elegy\u201d is based on Vance\u2019s best-selling 2016 memoir of the same name, which propelled him to national fame. Howard worked with the then-venture capitalist on the movie and spent time with him while they were promoting the film.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Despite Howard\u2019s rather neutral response about his film, Vulture continued to press the topic of Vance, asking the director if he\u2019s \u201cable to reconcile the person you knew and the character in the movie with the person you see now?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAm I able to reconcile? Well, it\u2019s happened, so I know what I\u2019ve observed,\u201d Howard said. \u201cIt remains a bit of a surprise to me. I would not have seen it coming, and I wouldn\u2019t have expected his rhetoric to be as divisive as it sometimes is. By the way, I\u2019m not following him or listening to every word.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The \u201cFrost\/Nixon\u201d director\u2019s implication that he tunes out politics \u2014 or at least, Vance \u2014 to some degree seemed to irk a few people on X, formerly Twitter \u2014 considering Vance is now President Donald Trump\u2019s vice president.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cMay we all have the luxury of non-thought!\u201d <\/span>one user said<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cSorry Ron, but you can no longer sit on the fence in these times,\u201d <\/span>another said<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cthis is such a cowardly answer,\u201d <\/span>a third echoed<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The consequences of Trump\u2019s policies \u2014 which range from <\/span>weak jobs numbers<\/span><\/a> to <\/span>forced disappearances<\/span><\/a> \u2014 have<\/span> trickled into Howard\u2019s own industry. C<\/span>BS <\/span>suspiciously canceled the \u201cLate Show\u201d last month<\/span><\/a> after host Stephen Colbert criticized parent company Paramount\u2019s recent settlement with Trump. The president has publicly threatened others in the entertainment business, including but not limited to <\/span>Joy Behar<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Jimmy Kimmel<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Beyonc\u00e9<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Howard did, however, offer Vulture a few tidbits about Vance that have nothing to do with the policies he\u2019s helping to peddle.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Vance was indeed \u201cfrustrated\u201d by critics panning \u201cHillbilly Elegy,\u201d the director confirmed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cHe felt that, just as reviews had kind of turned on the book, his involvement was in some way tainting or coloring the critical response, and he resented it,\u201d Howard said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The \u201cBeautiful Mind\u201d director also admitted that Vance\u2019s \u201crun for Senate and the strategy he\u2019s chosen to follow\u201d are not what he expected.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Howard revealed that he did text Vance shortly after the 2024 presidential election.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n 20 Years Of<\/span>Free<\/span>Journalism<\/span><\/p>\n Your Support Fuels Our Mission<\/p>\n Your Support Fuels Our Mission<\/p>\n![\"Vice](\"https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/689cfbce18000036c18c55e8.jpeg?cache=5D8DL3PG8O&ops=scalefit_720_noupscale&format=webp)
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