Dozens of Hollywood actors and production companies vowed to bow out of Georgia after it passed a “heartbeat” abortion ban, but Clint Eastwood doesn’t care.
The 89-year-old will direct an upcoming film in Atlanta despite the troves of sullen celebrities and production companies who have sworn off the state.
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Regardless of his anti-Obama “empty chair” stunt in 2012, Eastwood has swung liberal on social issues, including abortion. For The Ballad of Richard Jewell, he brings with him a staunchly liberal cast, including Olivia Wilde and Jon Hamm.
Ashley Bratcher, star of the pro-life film Unplanned, says that’s a good sign.
“I think people like Clint Eastwood coming to Georgia and filming are an excellent example of ignoring controversy and saying, ‘We can disagree with people and still be among them,’” she said over the phone.
Bratcher, herself a Georgia resident, has expressed her disdain for the Hollywood boycott of Georgia before. After Alyssa Milano gathered other pro-choice actors to sign a letter opposing the state’s abortion ban, which was signed into law last month, Bratcher responded with a letter of her own.
“Mother to mother, actress to actress, and as a proud Georgian, I’ve got some things to say to you,” she wrote in an open letter to Milano. “Hollywood may be silent on women’s rights but Georgia, the new home of the movie industry, is making its voice heard loud and clear. I’m incredibly proud of my home state for taking a stand in the fight for life amidst backlash and dubious threats.”
On the phone, Bratcher says she never heard from Milano afterward, but she hopes that other pro-choice celebrities will be willing to engage.
“That’s part of why we did Unplanned,” she said. “We wanted to open up the debate.”
Ironically, the subject of Eastwood’s film is an act of domestic terrorism committed by an anti-abortion fanatic from whom all real pro-life activists are quick to distance themselves.
The Ballad of Richard Jewell tells the true story of a security guard who saved thousands of lives during the 1996 Summer Olympics. Police at first blamed Jewell for the attack, though it was later found to have been committed by Eric Rudolph, an anti-gay, anti-abortion lunatic responsible for a series of hate crimes in the mid-1990s.
According to Rudolph’s statement on the Olympics bombing, “the purpose of the attack on July 27th was to confound, anger and embarrass the Washington government in the eyes of the world for its abominable sanctioning of abortion on demand.”
Surely, pro-choice advocates would support The Ballad of Richard Jewell filming in Georgia, as we can all condemn the hatred that inspired Rudolph’s crimes. It may not matter either way, though. The Hollywood-Georgia boycott, so far, has had much bluster and little follow-through.
To stars and production companies joining the boycott scare, though, Bratcher advises a different approach.
“If you’re trying to prove your point, then love and engagement is the way to do it,” Bratcher said. “You need to sit down and have a conversation with people.”
