Woody Allen has said he was impressed by Donald Trump’s acting abilities when he played the now-president in the 1998 film Celebrity.
Speaking on Bill Maher’s The Club , Allen said that Trump was “a pleasure to work with and a very good actor.”
He continued: “He was very polite, hit his mark, did everything right and had a real flair for show business. I could manage him now. If he would let me manage him now that he’s president, I think I could do wonders.”
In Allen’s ensemble film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Trump has a brief scene in which he is interviewed about his upcoming projects as a TV reporter.
In a rare-scenario-of-irony-and-obsolescence, Trump replies that he is “working on buying St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Maybe doing a little stripping and putting up a very, very tall and beautiful building.”
Allen went on to say that Trump had a “charismatic quality” in front of the camera, was “pleasant, very professional, very polite,” and that he was “surprised that he wanted to get into politics.”
He continued, “Politics is nothing but headaches and critical decisions and agony. This was a guy I used to see at Knicks games, and he liked to play golf, and he liked to judge beauty pageants, and he liked to do things that were enjoyable and relaxing.”
Allen announced that he personally voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. “I disagree with many, almost all, not all, but almost all of [Trump’s] policies.”
He concluded: “I would like to lead him now as president and let me make the decisions. But that’s not going to happen.”
Allen, whose films often feature Russian literature, recently attracted criticism for his virtual attendance at the Moscow Film Festival, which honors the director.
In a statement issued afterwards, Allen explained that “when it comes to the conflict in Ukraine, I firmly believe that Vladimir Putin is completely wrong.”
