Tom Arnold On Hollywood: If Subsidies ‘Were Right’ We’d Be ‘Making Movies in Syria Right Now’

Actor Tom Arnold believes Hollywood holds hypocritical views on guns and says filmmakers would shoot movies in Syria if it was financially beneficial for them to do so.

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter for a feature story about the gun industry’s “lucrative relationship” with the film and television industry, Arnold said, “If you’re telling certain stories, you’ll need to have guns.”

“But I don’t see smoking anymore [in productions],” he added. “Look, everyone talks about ‘liberal Hollywood,’ but I don’t know that that’s the case, particularly with guns.”

Of course, Arnold has seen his fair share of gunplay, including in action scenes alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in True Lies.

Elaborating further on how film industry decisions are based on profit above all, Arnold said, “This is an industry where, if the tax credits were right, we’d probably be shooting movies in Syria right now.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Steve Levitan — the showrunner behind ABC comedy Modern Family — acknowledged what little, if any, effect politically active celebrities had on the outcome of the presidential election.

“This election has shown that the power of this industry’s voice is perhaps overstated, Levitan said. “It’s become very easy to dismiss Hollywood types as out of touch.”

“I think rational people can see the difference between escapism and real life,” he added.

Read the full THR article here.

 

Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson