Woody Allen said he considered Donald Trump “a very good actor” based on the former real estate mogul’s brief appearance in Allen’s 1998 film Celebrity, remarks he made in a newly released conversation on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast. Allen added that Trump was “a pleasure to work with,” describing him as polite, precise on set and comfortable in front of the camera, and joked that he would even direct him again “now that he’s president.”
Allen recalled Trump’s cameo opposite Judy Davis, in which he riffs about “buying St Patrick’s Cathedral” and putting up “a very, very tall and beautiful building,” noting that Trump followed direction and “hit his mark.” The filmmaker said he was surprised Trump chose politics, calling the job “nothing but headaches and critical decisions,” and contrasted that path with the public figure he used to see courtside at Knicks games or on golf courses.
The director emphasized that his praise was confined to performance, not policy. He identified himself as a Democrat and said he voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, adding that he disagrees with “many, almost all” of Trump’s positions. The comments arrive as Allen continues to court attention for late-career projects and public appearances, including a recent exchange over his virtual participation in a Moscow film event, after which he reiterated opposition to Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine.
Allen’s reminiscence underscores how Trump’s decades of media exposure extended into feature films and television before his political rise, with Celebrity serving as one of a string of cameos where he played a heightened version of himself. By framing Trump’s screen presence as “convincing” and marked by show-business instincts, Allen placed the cameo in the tradition of casting well-known personalities for punctuating gags within ensemble comedies, even as he drew a clear line between professional impressions and political endorsement.
