Latest news with #ZacharyLevi
Fox News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Zachary Levi claims supporting Trump made him a Hollywood outsider
Zachary Levi considers himself a Hollywood outsider because of his political beliefs. The "Shazam!" star says there are people who don't want to work with him, after he publicly endorsed President Donald Trump. "I know that there are people that would prefer not to work with me now because of my opinions. My team has let me know," he said during an interview with Variety. "They haven't given me any specific names, but there are people who prefer not to work with me at this time. And it's unfortunate. I knew that was probably going to happen. I didn't make this decision blindly or casually." "I know that there are people that would prefer not to work with me now because of my opinions. My team has let me know." Prior to the 2024 presidential election, Levi faced backlash for publicly endorsing President Trump. He explained that he does, however, still have allies in the industry. "While there are some people who might prefer not to work with me anymore, there's a lot of people on that side of the political spectrum who are even more inclined to hire me and to want to do business with me because 'I need some people who voted another way.' "They see that what I did was at great risk. And they were like, 'You know what? I give you a lot of props for that because that's not an easy thing to do.' And I go, 'I appreciate that,'" he said. "I was not a fan of Trump's Trumpiness. I didn't like a lot of these personal things, the ways that he carries himself a lot of the time. I understand people's aversion," he told the outlet. "Do I think the whole package is somehow perfect? No. In fact, most people who voted for Donald Trump recognize a lot of the imperfections in all of it. Nobody was saying, 'This is the Orange Messiah.'" Levi dished to Variety that a lot of people in Hollywood "secretly" voted for Trump in his last presidential run. "I know it to be true because I've gotten messages from lots of people who I won't name but who were very grateful to me for taking the stand that I took. And also they would tell me, 'I want to do that, but I'm so afraid.' "And I would tell them, 'Listen, you're on your journey. I'm on my journey. You've got to keep trusting God. And if you feel compelled to step out in that way, then do it boldly and know that you're going to be OK. And if you don't feel that conviction yet, then don't. It's all good,'" he said. In a video uploaded to Instagram in October, Levi addressed "The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg's claim that Hollywood was a "right-leaning town" where "very few people seem to bite it because they're Republican." Levi disagreed with her comments, pointing out that she was only able to name actors Jon Voight and Dennis Quaid as examples of the thousands working in Hollywood today. He added actors like them seem to only come out as Republican "at a certain level of your career to get away with it." "And what that means is there's plenty — and by the way, they have sent me lots of messages — plenty of people in my industry in Hollywood that are terrified to publicly say that they would vote for Donald Trump or be conservative in any way," Levi said at the time. "That's why you don't see them. That's why they're not very prevalent or prominent because they know that there's ramifications for this kind of s---." Levi pushed back against fears of industry backlash by arguing it has been "eroded" after pandemic lockdowns and the recent writers and actors' strikes, predicting it will soon be "f--- gonzo." "So anyway, my cry to all of you out there, you closeted conservatives, closeted Trump voters, y'all, it's now or never, you know what I mean?" Levi said. "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." In September, Levi endorsed Trump during an event for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. "In a perfect world, in whatever that would look like, perhaps I would have voted for Bobby," Levi said. "But we don't live in a perfect world. In fact, we live in a very broken one. We live in a country that has been hijacked by a lot of people who want to take this place way off the cliff, and we're here to stop that."
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Shazam star Zachary Levi says he has been shunned by Hollywood after supporting Donald Trump: ‘It's unfortunate'
American actor Zachary Levi has revealed that individuals within Hollywood are hesitant to work with him due to his controversial opinions. In a recent interview with Variety, the Shazam! actor stated, "I know that there are people that would prefer not to work with me now because of my opinions. My team has let me know." "They haven't given me any specific names, but there are people who prefer not to work with me at this time. And it's unfortunate.I knew that was probably going to happen. I didn't make this decision blindly or casually," he was quoted as saying. Zachary, a vocal supporter of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—who endorsed Donald Trump in 2023—has steadily distanced himself from Hollywood's dominant political narrative. His alignment with RFK Jr. and agreement with far-right stances have sparked controversy, especially on social media. In 2023, the 43-year-old actor posted 'Hardcore agree' in response to a tweet calling Pfizer a 'real danger to the world,' prompting backlash from both fans and public health advocates. He also faced criticism for downplaying the SAG-AFTRA strike, despite the fact that he took his statement back about the strike. Since voicing these opinions, Zachary says he has experienced a noticeable shift in how he's perceived within the industry. Several of his Shazam! co-stars, including Rachel Zegler, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Asher Angel, along with director David F. Sandberg, have unfollowed him on social media. Broadway actor Laura Benanti, his former co-star in She Loves Me, openly slammed him, saying she 'never liked' him and criticised his anti-vaccine stance with, 'F**k you forever.' In December 2024, during an appearance on Bill Maher's Club Random podcast, after Bill suggested that Zachary had been "canceled" for his support of Trump, Zachary laughed off the notion, saying, "Have I been canceled? I hope I haven't been canceled yet." He emphasized that none of his ongoing projects had been compromised. Earlier this year in February, Zachary appeared on The Megyn Kelly Show, where he discussed his political journey. He explained how Tulsi Gabbard influenced his decision to support current American President during the 2024 election. Reflecting on the potential impact on his career, Zachary had said, "I felt peace because I knew that this was more important than saving my career." He elaborated, "I think we too often fall into these paradigms, these thought processes of self-preservation, and it is not good. We need to be wise and we want to survive and we want to live and flourish and all those things, but we can't merely make decisions off of, 'Well I hope nothing bad happens to me.' You got to sacrifice."
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Zachary Levi says certain actors 'prefer not to work' with him after Trump support
Zachary Levi says certain actors 'prefer not to work' with him after Trump support Show Caption Hide Caption Zachary Levi opens up about therapy, role in 'The Unbreakable Boy' Zachary Levi opens up to USA TODAY's Ralphie Aversa about his mental health journey and how it informed his role in "The Unbreakable Boy." Zachary Levi is speaking out about how his conservative beliefs have impacted his work in Hollywood. The "Shazam!" star opened up in a Variety story published May 22 about the aftermath of voting for President Donald Trump and his vocal vaccine skepticism. "I know that there are people that would prefer not to work with me now because of my opinions," Levi said. "My team has let me know. They haven't given me any specific names, but there are people who prefer not to work with me at this time. And it's unfortunate. I knew that was probably going to happen. I didn't make this decision blindly or casually." But still, he says some in the film industry are supportive of his views. Zachary Levi doesn't apologize for political stance: 'I am still fighting for all of us' "I know it to be true because I've gotten messages from lots of people who I won't name but who were very grateful to me for taking the stand that I took," Levi said. "They would tell me, 'I want to do that, but I'm so afraid.' And I would tell them, 'Listen, you're on your journey. I'm on my journey." "'You've got to keep trusting God. And if you feel compelled to step out in that way, then do it boldly and know that you're going to be OK. And if you don't feel that conviction yet, then don't," Levi said. "It's all good." Zachary Levi praises left-leaning 'Shazam!' co-star Rachel Zegler The "Chuck" actor is building a $100 million studio in Austin, as his own creative space outside of Hollywood. He said that "AI is about to be the nail in the coffin, and we wonder why LA has become the Detroit of the entertainment industry." Variety said the campus for his Wyldwood Studios will include two 20,000-square-foot amphitheaters, a boutique hotel, cabins and a farm-to-table restaurant on 75 acres along the Colorado River banks. Levi added that "this industry is crumbling around us" and "in order for us to survive, we need to have a space for artists that will foster certified organic human-made content." Rachel Zegler addresses backlash to controversial 'Snow White' comments: 'It made me sad' The "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" actor also spoke out about his fellow controversial co-star Rachel Zegler. Zegler wrote, "May Trump supporters … never know peace" on Instagram after Trump won the 2024 election. Despite their political differences, Levi still praised Zegler during the Variety interview, even though he is "one of those people, obviously." "I think that we have got to recognize that a lot of times people's decisions are predicated upon the bad information that they're being fed on a regular basis," the "Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" alum added. "So should I hate her because she's downstream of all of these voices that are telling her that he's Hitler and the people who vote for him are Nazis? She's a really talented girl, and I do think that she wants the best for the world deep down." Zachary Levi shares what he's 'not a fan of' about Donald Trump While Levi voted for Trump, he said, "I was not a fan of Trump's Trumpiness." "I didn't like a lot of these personal things, the ways that he carries himself a lot of the time. I understand people's aversion," Levi told Variety. "Do I think the whole package is somehow perfect? No. In fact, most people who voted for Donald Trump recognize a lot of the imperfections in all of it. Nobody was saying, 'This is the Orange Messiah.'" Khloé Kardashian, Zachary Levi blast California leadership over Los Angeles fires He holds some conservative views, but Levi said he still boasts a liberal streak. "I have conservative views, and I have more liberal views. And one of my more liberal views is that particularly growing up in the arts, I've had gay friends my entire life, and I've never, even within my spirituality, seen it as this thing that we need to be fearful of or scorn or bully or anything," Levi said. "I love my gay friends, my gay community." "Jesus wouldn't bully somebody online or otherwise because they're gay," the actor continued.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Inside MAGA actor's plans to build $100M movie studio in Texas as he says 'Hollywood is broken'
Zachary Levi says Hollywood's broken, so he's taking his business - show business - elsewhere. The 44-year-old actor - who feels he's been frozen out of mainstream Hollywood due to his refusal to go woke - is currently in the process of fundraising to fully build a film studio in Austin, Texas that would benefit from tariff-linked movie industry policies President Donald Trump has spoken about. The Chuck actor, speaking Thursday with Variety, said that the studio system - which has been rocked to its core over the past decade amid a horrific history of dysfunctional power structures; rapidly-changing technology and emerging business alternatives - was essentially obsolete a century ago. The American Underdog actor refenced the silent film stars who banded together more than a century ago to form United Artists in 1919, amid inferior conditions in the entertainment industry at the time. 'Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks and all those O.G.s knew it over 100 years ago,' the Lake Charles, Louisiana native told the magazine. 'Hollywood was broken then, and we needed a better system.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Levi in 2008 posed with his Chuck costar Yvonne Strahovski and the then-star of NBC's The Apprentice, Donald Trump, at an NBC Universal promotional event in 2008 Levi added, 'This industry is crumbling around us. In order for us to survive, we need to have a space for artists that will foster certified organic human-made content.' Levi in 2008 posed with his Chuck costar Yvonne Strahovski and the then-star of NBC's The Apprentice - now-President Trump - at an NBC Universal promotional event in 2008. He wound up hitting the campaign trail in support of Trump last summer. has reached out to Strahovski and her reps for comment on Levi's plans and her run-in with the nascent U.S. president. Levi, who lives in Ventura, California with partner Maggie Keating, told Variety he's been ostracized for his views on politics amid the turbulent timeframe. 'I know that there are people that would prefer not to work with me now because of my opinions,' Levi told the outlet. 'My team has let me know.' Variety reported that Levi nodded 'in the direction of Beverly Hills, where his agents at UTA are headquartered' when he made the remarks about professional alliances dissolving due to political disagreements. ' They haven't given me any specific names, but there are people who prefer not to work with me at this time,' Levi told the outlet. 'And it's unfortunate.' Levi said that he 'knew that was probably going to happen' and figured it into the calculus when making a series of public bold statements. Levi said 'Hollywood was broken' in 1919 when silent film stars united to form a company Levi added that he 'didn't make this decision blindly or casually,' as he's landed in hot water at times for his views in support of President Trump, as well as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Levi's ambitious plans were revealed nearly seven months after the actor was widely slammed after linking the COVID-19 vaccine to the death of Gavin Creel at 48, with fellow actor Norbert Leo Butz saying he was 'utterly heartbroken' by the move. Weeks prior to last fall's presidential election, Levi posted a controversial one-hour rant on his Instagram October 22. In it, he said he believed that Creel - his one-time costar in the Broadway revival of She Loves Me who died September 30 following a battle with cancer - 'would be alive right now' had he not gotten vaccinated. Butz left a comment condemning the Shazam! star for mentioning Creel in his politically-charged statement, 'So incredibly disappointed you would politicize Gavin's death,' the Tony winner said. 'Really tried to give you the benefit here. Made it halfway through, which was hard as hell. But was utterly heartbroken, as he would have been, that you felt the need to use his life and legacy to promote this awful platform.' Levi endorsed Republican Donald Trump over Democrat Kamala Harris ahead of the election. Trump dominated with an electoral college total of 312 votes to Harris' 226; according to the AP, Trump garnered 49.9 percent of the votes with 77,304,184 votes, while Harris had 75,019,616 votes accounting for 48.4 percent. In his social media statement, Levi acknowledged there would be significant pushback to his words. 'I know that this is going to offend some people and make some people mad, and I wish it didn't,' Levi said. 'So, a few weeks ago, my friend Gavin Creel died. He was 48 years old, and he was one of the healthiest people I knew.' 'You better believe that, with everything in me, I believe that if these COVID vaccinations were not forced on the American public, that the theaters weren't being pushed and leveraged.' In his statement, Levi said 'people at the top' forced those in the Broadway community, including producers and theater owners, to enforce vaccine mandates coming out of the pandemic. 'They knew the cost benefit of these shots, and it was garbage; guys, it was garbage,' Levi said. He added, 'They knew that there would be plenty of side effects, including turbo cancers - they knew. 'And I, without a shadow of a doubt, I believe that Gavin Creel would be alive right now - right f***ing now - he would still be alive if that stuff didn't get put into his body.' Levi said he felt he was honoring Creel's memory by 'talking about' the divisive issue. Levi faced criticism from a number of other social media users over trying to link Creel's death to the COVID-19 vaccine. One user said in response, 'Some people shouldn't be allowed to talk. Shame on you for using Gavin Creel's passing to spread misinformation.' Another said, 'I've been a fan since Chuck. I have to admit I'm terribly disappointed.' Said one user: 'This…. Was insane. I cannot believe you used Gavin's passing to spread absolutely blatant misinformation. I think he would be incredibly disappointed in you. Like I'm sure much of the Broadway community now is.' One put off fan added, Unfollowed ... good luck with your new direct to DVD movie career.' Some fans lauded Levi for taking the risky career move in making a controversial statement in support of his core beliefs. One said, 'Good for you for standing up for what you believe in!' while another added, 'I don't agree with you politically but I respect your bravery to voice your opinion.' Another said, 'Not even a Trump fan, (I'm DEFINITELY not a Kamala fan) but I absolutely give you respect for coming out in Hollywood and going against the tide!!! Been a fan since Chuck.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zachary Levi Strikes Back: The Trump-Voting ‘Shazam!' Star on Feeling Hollywood's Wrath Over Vaccine Skepticism and the $100 Million Studio He's Building in Austin
At the dawn of 2023, Zachary Levi was riding high. Following a five-year run as the titular star of the NBC spy caper 'Chuck,' the actor positioned himself as a legit leading man in film thanks to the breakout success of 'Shazam!' The DC tentpole was a low-risk proposition for Warner Bros. that delivered strong reviews and a $368 million global box office haul against a $90 million budget. But in the run-up to the sequel that year, Levi ignited a furor when he weighed in vaguely on the COVID vaccine debate. In response to a Twitter user who asked, 'Do you agree or not that Pfizer is a real danger to the world?' Levi wrote, 'Hardcore agree.' More from Variety Paramount Could Violate Anti-Bribery Law if it Pays to Settle Trump's '60 Minutes' Lawsuit, Senators Claim Trump Heads to the Middle East, Falls in Love With Saudi Crown Prince in 'SNL' Cold Open: 'I Love the Arabs! Get Me to Allah's Country!' Trump Calls Bruce Springsteen 'Not a Talented Guy,' 'Dried Out Prune' and 'Dumb as a Rock,' as American Federation of Musicians Denounces Presidential Attacks on Springsteen, Taylor Swift It was the kind of vaccine skepticism that had already dinged the career prospects of fellow superhero stars Letitia Wright and Evangeline Lilly, but Levi doubled down. The following year, he endorsed presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a reviled figure in Hollywood for stoking fears about vaccine schedules and COVID boosters. When Kennedy ended his bid to be the Democratic Party nominee and urged his supporters to pivot to Donald Trump, Levi was dubious. After a heart-to-heart with Kennedy, he decided to throw his weight behind the man most loathed by his showbiz brethren. For the TV actor who began to stumble as a movie star with such duds as last year's 'Harold and the Purple Crayon,' his timing for going rogue wasn't optimal. But the wildly ambitious Levi has even bigger plans than securing a spot on the A-list. He's about to embark on a risky plan to launch a Hollywood studio in Austin, Texas — incidentally, a mecca for entertainment industry foes of the jab like Joe Rogan and Woody Harrelson. While Rogan is untouchable as Spotify's golden goose podcaster and Harrelson gets a pass because he only strays from Hollywood orthodoxy on the vaccine issue, Levi is particularly vulnerable; his career was already cooling before he spoke out. And soon, he will have another mouth to feed. As we meet at a Brentwood café in March, Levi is days away from becoming a father for the first time. He has just finished prepping for a home birth at the Ventura, California, abode he shares with his partner, photographer Maggie Keating. 'I know that there are people that would prefer not to work with me now because of my opinions. My team has let me know,' he says as he nods in the direction of Beverly Hills, where his agents at UTA are headquartered. 'They haven't given me any specific names, but there are people who prefer not to work with me at this time. And it's unfortunate. I knew that was probably going to happen. I didn't make this decision blindly or casually.' Still, his MAHA-friendly turn could be well timed after all. Post-2024 election, the world is newly aware of the rising tide of oddly heterodox people. And if all breaks Levi's way, his plans for the future could resonate far beyond Texas. Either way, his status as persona non grata in Hollywood hardly matters to him. The town is bleeding amid runaway production, audience apathy and a widening gap between the 1% and the industry's rank and file. Given that bleak outlook, Levi says, in characteristically impolitic terms, that he'd rather opt out. 'AI is about to be the nail in the coffin,' he notes. 'And we wonder why L.A. has become the Detroit of the entertainment industry.' As Levi takes a sip from a glass of pink sludge and digs into a plate of organic eggs, the 44-year-old actor is in the thick of a $40 million capital raise to begin building a $100 million full-service campus in Austin for his Wyldwood Studios, a place that would certainly benefit if Trump follows through on his promise to levy 100% tariffs on producers who shoot abroad. Likewise, the Texas Senate has proposed injecting half a billion dollars into film production thanks to efforts made by Harrelson, Matthew McConaughey and Taylor Sheridan. (The bill was introduced by a Republican senator.) Levi envisions a complex with a pair of 20,000-square-foot soundstages, two amphitheaters, a boutique hotel, cabins and a farm-to-table restaurant. He bought the 75 acres along the banks of the Colorado River long before he ran afoul of Hollywood convention. 'Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks and all those O.G.s knew it over 100 years ago. Hollywood was broken then, and we needed a better system,' he says of the silent-era legends who founded United Artists to bypass oppressive studio contracts. 'This industry is crumbling around us. In order for us to survive, we need to have a space for artists that will foster certified organic human-made content.' Speaking with an intensity that belies the hippie-speak, Levi is still more of an Aaron Rodgers than a Roger Stone. In fact, the 6'3' Ventura native who loves to sing (remember his 'I See the Light' duet with Mandy Moore in 'Tangled'?) and talk about his 'plant medicine journeys' isn't exactly a MAGA prototype. In 2020, he cast his ballot for Marianne Williamson in the Democratic presidential primary. In 2016, he voted for Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson and urged his social media followers to not pull the lever for Trump because he didn't care 'about anything but power.' 'I was not a fan of Trump's Trumpiness,' he explains of the man he's never met. 'I didn't like a lot of these personal things, the ways that he carries himself a lot of the time. I understand people's aversion. Do I think the whole package is somehow perfect? No. In fact, most people who voted for Donald Trump recognize a lot of the imperfections in all of it. Nobody was saying, 'This is the Orange Messiah.'' Levi has a different Messiah; he describes himself as a nondenominational Christian and devout at that. For those expecting Wyldwood to churn out conservative-minded fare like The Daily Wire is doing from Nashville, think again. Levi says that he is aiming for content closer to 'The White Lotus' than 'The Chosen.' Aspects of his values fit neatly into Hollywood: When asked why he once spoke out against gay bullying at an Anti-Defamation League awards ceremony, he explains: 'I have conservative views, and I have more liberal views. And one of my more liberal views is that particularly growing up in the arts, I've had gay friends my entire life, and I've never, even within my spirituality, seen it as this thing that we need to be fearful of or scorn or bully or anything. I love my gay friends, my gay community. Jesus wouldn't bully somebody online or otherwise because they're gay.' Although he sees flaws in Trump and has certain left-coded leanings, Levi seems to have alienated a large swath of the industry. But he's open to the idea that he's wrong about all manner of things. 'It's great hubris and folly to think that you are incapable of being bamboozled,' he says. 'We are all capable of being bamboozled. I could be getting bamboozled right now, putting my trust into leaders that I helped to get elected.' For a self-described Hollywood pariah, Levi has plenty of backers. 'He's just an incredibly passionate person. He's really smart. He has great instincts,' says 'Chuck' co-creator Josh Schwartz, who has remained friends with Levi since the series wrapped in 2012. 'He's really entrepreneurial, in terms of looking towards the future. I'm not even entirely sure what's going on in Texas, but I know he's thinking about the future of the industry, especially in the face of these technological uncertainties.' Director Guy Moshe was working with Levi on the upcoming thriller 'Hotel Tehran' as his star faced growing criticism for his COVID vaccine views. 'To me it was a very brave thing he was doing. And I said that to him when we were filming. And Isaw what he was going through. Obviously, you can imagine there's a lot of voices in your head when you're in Hollywood in his position. And for the record, I've taken the vaccine, as have mykids,' Moshe recalls. 'He is like a disrupter in a way. He's talking about a lot of things. He's talking about AI, health, politics, Hollywood. And he is challenging us to engage in a meaningful and thoughtful conversation about these subjects as opposed to having an automatic for or against response. We used to applaud this back in the day.' Others feel conflicted about their relationship with Levi. Robert Duncan McNeill, who directed some 20 episodes of 'Chuck,' has maintained a close friendship with Levi even though their politics are seemingly at odds. McNeill, who dubs himself left-wing and sees Trump as a major threat to democracy, sometimes wrestles with the dichotomy. 'I love Zach dearly, but I don't want in any way for our friendship and my feelings about him as a human to be an endorsement of his politics because I vehemently disagree with them,' McNeill says. 'But he's an unusual friend in my life. He sometimes can be more of a bleeding-heart liberal than I am, which shocks me. Zach walks the walk in a lot of ways better than me.' Not all of his former colleagues feel warm and fuzzy about Levi — namely Laura Benanti, who starred opposite him in 2016 on Broadway in 'She Loves Me.' When their fellow cast member Gavin Creel died in September of a rare type of cancer at the age of 48, Levi suggested in an Instagram post that COVID vaccines could have played a role. That prompted Benanti to lash out. 'I never liked him,' she said of Levi in a podcast interview. And though his 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' co-star Rachel Zegler didn't name Levi, she posted on Instagram after the election: 'May Trump supporters … never know peace.' That doesn't change his feelings about her. 'I am one of those people, obviously,' he says, referring to his own vote for Trump. 'But I think that we have got to recognize that a lot of times people's decisions are predicated upon the bad information that they're being fed on a regular basis. So should I hate her because she's downstream of all of these voices that are telling her that he's Hitler and the people who vote for him are Nazis? She's a really talented girl, and I do think that she wants the best for the world deep down.' After all, filming both 'Shazam!' movies was joyful, and Levi is still talking about his 'Shazamily.' But a changing of the DC guard from Walter Hamada to James Gunn and Peter Safran meant that the previous regime's titles were dumped into the marketplace in 2023 with little marketing. That slate included 'The Flash,' 'Blue Beetle,' 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom' and the 'Shazam!' sequel. They all underperformed. 'Fury of the Gods' pulled in just $134 million off a $110 million budget. When a reporter asked Gunn about Levi's Pfizer post, the DC chief responded: 'Actors and filmmakers that I work with are going to say things that I agree with and things that I don't agree with. And that's going to happen. I don't have a list of things that somebody should say because of what I think. And you know, I can't be changing my plans all the time because an actor says something that I don't agree with.' Still, Levi isn't bitter and blames the reporter for trying to use Gunn to publicly shame him. 'I've known James for a really long time, and I believe that he was doing what he needed to do in order to answer those questions to the best of his ability,' he says. 'I didn't feel like he threw me under a bus or anything. I think that James was answering honestly, according to how he feels, as he should.' As for whether or not he would come back for a third outing, Levi is emphatic: 'Absolutely. I loved playing the role.' But are there any plans? 'No idea. It's all well above my pay grade,' he insists. And though many of his closest industry friends hail from the 'Chuck' days, playing the nerdy American Bond took its toll. 'It was gnarly. It really broke me in a lot of ways physically and mentally and emotionally,' he says. 'We were averaging like 16 hours a day the first season. Sitcom is the best schedule in the world for an actor. I mean, you barely have to work. It's fantastic. But single-camera or episodic television is really the most grueling schedule in all of Hollywood as far as I'm concerned.' The 'Chuck' grind also prevented him from beginning his superhero career even earlier. Back in 2009, Kenneth Branagh cast Levi as the charismatic warrior Fandral in 'Thor.' Then NBC ordered six additional episodes of 'Chuck,' and his schedule would no longer permit the 'Thor' production. (He wound up playing Fandral in the next two 'Thor' outings.) In hindsight, he thinks NBC could have made the scheduling work. 'Where there's a will, there's a way,' he says. 'I think that Hollywood is so capable when they really want to figure things out; when they see the value in someone, then they will.' Ultimately, the 'Chuck' positives — the ongoing (but sometimes complicated) friendships — outweighed the negatives. There's also the fandom, which Levi says has only grown since the series' initial window on broadcast TV as it finds new devotees on streaming. 'There are fans who have followed me through my entire career,' he says, 'fans who show up for conventions and events and have been pleading for more 'Chuck,' more of a 'Chuck' series or a 'Chuck' movie, which I've been trying to make since before we even finished the series because I think it's worthy.' In some ways, the 'Chuck' experience helped crystallize his plans for Wyldwood. While promoting the series in the U.K., he caught a glimpse of a more sustainable work culture. 'It was like where every couple hours we're stopping for a tea, and the day was manageable and there wasn't as much stress,' he remembers. 'And I was so conditioned to the American thing. I'm like, 'Tick-tock, guys, what are we doing?'' Things will be different at Wyldwood, he insists, with '8- to 10-hour days. And if we need to shoot two more weeks in order to make up those hours, then we'll shoot two more weeks and figure it out in the budget.' Even before he became a father, he began to see the necessity of having a work-life balance. A few weeks after our café meeting, we reconnect over Zoom. Levi is now officially a father to Henson Ezra Levi Pugh. 'Ten fingers and 10 toes and just really strong and aware right out of the gate. A dreamy little boy,' he says. During our meeting in Brentwood, Levi talks about not wanting to pass his own unhealed trauma on to his son, 'which is what happened with my parents and their parents and their parents before them.' (His parents divorced when he was 6 years old.) And that is the impetus for a Wyldwood setup that will encourage cast and crew to keep their own family units intact during productions — not exactly the norm in the industry. As early adopters, the Levi family will remain in Ventura until July and then head to Texas to raise Henson. But Levi will keep a foot in Los Angeles and is confident that he will continue to work in the Hollywood system as he pursues his Wyldwood vision. For one thing, he says there are plenty of industry figures who voted for Trump for various reasons. 'I know it to be true because I've gotten messages from lots of people who I won't name but who were very grateful to me for taking the stand that I took,' he says. 'And also they would tell me, 'I want to do that, but I'm so afraid.' And I would tell them, 'Listen, you're on your journey. I'm on my journey. You've got to keep trusting God. And if you feel compelled to step out in that way, then do it boldly and know that you're going to be OK. And if you don't feel that conviction yet, then don't. It's all good.'' For another thing, there are some executives who, whatever their own politics, are willing to work with talent they once believed were reckless about COVID measures. Wright, for instance, is mounting a comeback and recently made her directorial debut with the short 'Highway to the Moon.' Levi believes she never should have endured the town's cold shoulder. 'I really have a lot of respect for her,' he says. 'They tried to smear Letitia [after she questioned the COVID vaccine], and then of course they go, 'And she's a Christian — of course she's wacky.'' Although Lilly says she is stepping away from acting, Dennis Quaid, who stumped for Trump, is working steadily. And Ice Cube, who poohed-poohed the vaccine during an interview with Tucker Carlson, just got hired by Warner Bros. to write and star in a new 'Friday' movie. 'While there are some people who might prefer not to work with me anymore, there's a lot of people on that side of the political spectrum who are even more inclined to hire me and to want to do business with me because 'I need some people who voted another way,'' Levi says and then pauses, thinking of recent conversations with decision-makers. 'They see that what I did was at great risk. And they were like, 'You know what? I give you a lot of props for that because that's not an easy thing to do.' And I go, 'I appreciate that.'' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
