Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson are on the promotional circuit for the faith-based drama “Ordinary Angels.”
Stars routinely chat with journalists about their latest projects. It’s Marketing 101.
Swank and Ritchson even dropped by “The View,” arguably the most far-Left platform in the media landscape. The appearance let them reach the story’s female audience, even if the hosts have slammed some people of faith as “Christian Nationalists.”
So where are the Swank and Ritchson interviews at The Daily Wire? Outkick.com? National Review? Breitbart News? Timcast IRL? The Blaze? Townhall.com? PJ Media? Fox News? The Washington Times?
Hollywood in Toto?
You won’t find them.
The stars did chat with MovieWeb, ScreenRant and a plethora of smaller media outlets. There’s nothing wrong with casting a wide net. Those sites speak to dedicated movie fans, too. But why didn’t that net include right-leaning platforms?
Conservative news sites have very strong ties to the faith-based community. On paper, marketers would love to leverage that connection, knowing the stars will be speaking to people eager for stories like “Ordinary Angels.”
Plus, some conservatives embrace Ritchson for his Amazon series, “Reacher.” It’s one of the platform’s biggest hits, featuring a hero out of the Reagan-era mold.
Stallone. Schwarzenegger. Ritchson?
Ritchson is a Christian, and he probably wouldn’t mind chatting up a right-leaning journalist. Swank has two Oscars on her mantle. She knows her fame is based on reaching both red and blue states audiences.
They still didn’t speak to openly conservative outlets according to Google News searches on the subject. The Christian Post nabbed Swank at the red-carpet premiere for the film, a press opportunity that rarely allows more than one or two questions.
(Note: This reporter unsuccessfully requested a phoner with Ritchson for two large, right-leaning outlets)
Hollywood and Conservative Media – Like Garlic to a Vampire
“Ordinary Angels” underwhelmed at the box office in its first weekend, earning $6.5 million in a marketplace hungry for faith-friendly fare. “Jesus Revolution,” also from Kingdom Story Company, opened to a hearty $15.8 million last year sans an Oscar-winning star like Swank.
“Angels” held nicely during its second weekend, but it still made just $3.8 million.
Did Hollywood’s conservative media blacklist cost the film at the box office?
“Ordinary Angels,” from director Jon Gunn of “The Case for Christ” fame, retells the story of Ed Schmitt (Ritchson), desperate to secure a liver transplant for his sick little girl. A local woman (Swank) intervenes, using her charisma to raise money for the girl and do everything possible to find an organ transplant before it’s too late.
The plot is catnip for Red State audiences. Faith. Family. Sacrifice. Complicated heroes.
Did they even hear about it in our tribal media landscape? Chances are few, if any, conservatives caught Swank and Ritchson yukking it up with Whoopi, Joy and the rest of “The View” hosts.
None of this should be shocking. Right-leaning news outlets rarely gain access to major stars when it’s time to promote a new film or TV show. A few openly conservative actors, like Kevin Sorbo or Jon Voight, will sit down with The Blaze or Breitbart News.
The rest? It’s very rare.
Need an example as to why this matters?
The 2019 drama “Richard Jewell” seemed perfectly suited to conservative audiences. Director Clint Eastwood’s film recalled how the FBI and media outlets tag-teamed to demonize Jewell, a hero framed as the monster who planted a bomb at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Those dueling themes are catnip to Red State USA, but the film’s marketers ignored that rich connection, not to mention the director’s right-leaning nature. The film tanked at the box office, earning just $22 million despite an all-star cast and Eastwood’s gravitas.
Right-leaning talk show host Greg Gutfeld hinted at the problem during a 2023 chat with podcaster Adam Carolla. The “Gutfeld!” host said Hollywood PR mavens won’t allow their clients to appear on right-leaning shows, even if they’re very successful.
“I can’t tell you how many examples I have of this … ‘I love your show. Can’t do it,’” Gutfeld said. “Also, there’s the interference that’s run up by the team … it’s always the publicist. ‘We’re just looking out for [the talent].’”
Carolla agreed, and he’s not openly conservative.
“Gutfeld!” draws some of the biggest ratings on late night. That’s not enough, apparently.
This isn’t happening in a vacuum.
Stars know that even speaking to a conservative journalist could negatively impact their career. Actor/producer Mark Duplass shared kind words about Daily Wire co-founder and author Ben Shapiro in 2018. Duplass immediately backpedaled after receiving a wave of hate from his progressive peers.
There’s a second factor here, one that leads to the larger problem. Hollywood aggressively discriminates against conservatives. It’s undeniable.
Alec Baldwin confirmed the sorry state of affairs, calling it “unfortunate.” Podcast giant Joe Rogan described how it works on a recent podcast, saying ideological uniformity behind the Hollywood scenes is enforced “with an iron fist.”
Various entertainment outlets admit it now and then but never follow up on the issue.
The result?
Movies like “Ordinary Angels” get less attention, and box office receipts, than they might have otherwise.
We saw the same with Peacock’s “In the Know.” The limited comedy series pokes sizable fun at NPR and its hard-left talent. Conservatives would find that angle appealing, arguably more than liberal viewers. The streamer didn’t reach out to right-leaning outlets to spread the word, at least given a Google News search on the topic.
This reporter requested an interview with “In the Know” star/co-creator Zach Woods. No luck.
This week, Amazon Prime debuts “Ricky Stanicky,” from the mind of director Peter Farrelly. He’s the comedy guru responsible for pre-woke smashes like “There’s Something About Mary,” “Dumb and Dumber” and “Kingpin.”
Farrelly has spoken against the new, restrictive comedy landscape, one reason he made his latest movie. The film’s poster features a faux trigger warning announcing it’s an unabashedly R-rated comedy.
Conservatives, exhausted by woke comedy handcuffs, would love to learn more about it. Except the film apparently isn’t being screened for some critics (including this reporter). Nor are we seeing any Farrelly interviews in the right-leaning press.
This reporter requested a chat with Farrelly weeks ago. No luck.
This clip with Farrelly and “Ricky” co-star William H. Macy is the only recent interview tied to the project according to a March 4 Google search. The film opens in just three days (March 7).
What are they waiting for?
The bigger picture is sad but true. Hollywood would rather leave money on the table than talk to conservative media and, by extension, their audience.