Zachary Levi pushed back against the idea that his acting career has taken a hit after endorsing Donald Trump for president earlier this year. The Shazam star appeared on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, which saw the host noting, “You got canceled.”
“Have I been canceled?” the actor asked. “I hope I haven’t been canceled yet. I mean, if it happens, it happens.” Maher pushed Levi for an answer, noting, “Come on, didn’t you lose jobs for that? Isn’t that what canceling is?”
“No,” Levi responded “For coming out and voting for Trump? I mean, listen, I have yet to see what the ultimate effects of all that are gonna be. I already had multiple jobs that I was in the process of shooting or that I have yet to shoot, and none of those have been compromised. None of my producers or any of the studios behind those films or projects have called and said, ‘Hey listen this is a line too far, and we can’t have you associated with the project anymore.’ We’re all still full steam ahead on those.”
He added, “How it ultimately plays out in the future? I don’t know.” The actor, who recently appeared in children’s film Harold and the Purple Crayon, also said he hasn’t discussed the situation with him team because he’s been busy working. “They might say, ‘Hey listen, we’ve had some phone calls with some people and they don’t wanna work with you anymore,’” Levi said. “I don’t know.”
Levi endorsed Trump in September, one of the few Hollywood actors to do so. He came under fire for agreeing on social media that the Covid-19 vaccine maker Pfizer posed “a real danger to the world” and for claiming that stage performer Gavin Creel would still be alive had he not received the vaccine.
In October, Levi posted an Instagram video responding to criticism of his views. “There are plenty, and by the way, they’ve sent me lots of messages, plenty of people in my industry, in Hollywood, who are terrified to publicly say they would vote for Donald Trump or be conservative in any way,” Levi said in the clip. “That’s why you don’t see them. That’s why they’re not very prevalent or prominent. They know there’s ramifications for this kind of shit.”
He added, “My cry to all of you out there, you closeted Trump voters, it’s now or never. Do whatever you feel like you need to do. If you need to come out publicly and say it, if you feel like you still can’t, then don’t. I would never pressure you to do that. But know that if what you’re afraid of is somehow the backlash of an industry that’s not going to exist very soon, then don’t let that hold you back.”
Levi has recently been filming action thriller Hotel Tehran alongside Liam Neeson. He wrapped Not Without Hope and Sarah’s Oil last year.
