by Bruno Somerset

Created on: February 26, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

Whether we agree with them or not, most of us have come to expect movie stars to be very vocal in their support (or opposition) to candidates and causes. The high profile of actors and actresses makes their political opinions more visible to us than other activist groups. It is often pointed out that Hollywood loves liberal candidates; less mention is made of the fact that Evangelical ministers uniformly support Republicans, because the opinions of ministers don't sell magazines and newspapers.

So as the primary season heats up a year early, and candidates like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton attempt to court the Hollywood elite, I would like to examine this "Hollywood and politics" phenomenon, and even give some reasons why actors' political opinions actually might matter.

The single biggest reason is money. Candidates need money to get elected, and film stars have huge amounts of money, so Hollywood serves as something of an ATM for candidates of both parties. The majority does go to Democrats, but Republicans pull in their share of the loot as well. The attention that candidates give to actors in order to get their money is one thing that affords actors a platform from which to broadcast their political views. From a marketing standpoint, this marriage has worked well for both sides for a long time, although it has rarely added much of substance to the overall national debate.

Another reason is that some, perhaps many, in Hollywood are truly informed about the issues facing our nation, and because they are comfortable in the spotlight, have no qualms about making their positions known. Some are more informed than the average American because of the fact that candidates will come directly to them and lay out detailed positions in order to get contributions, and certainly some stay informed and active solely as a means of advancing their careers. But most are no more informed than any one of us. They are just more comfortable making their views known in the glare of the spotlight.

Finally, on the whole, creative people are aware of the world around them and take more interest in it because this is critical to their craft. Whether they are actors or artists or writers, they must be able to create a realism in their various performances that people will believe, and thus take more interest in the world around them. For example, I doubt that many people today know more about Idi Amin than Forrest Whitaker, because he had to learn the inner and outer workings of the man in order to believably recreate him onscreen.

Movie stars are not all political experts, and many speak without knowing the issues. This is just as true for lawyers, bankers, truck drivers, farmers and any other citizen. Film stars simply have a much larger stage from which to make their views known. Perhaps rather than criticizing them, we should be following their lead.

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