James Woods recently told Megyn Kelly on her SiriusXM radio show that he was “gently” asked not to promote Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer , on which he served as executive producer after purchasing the rights to the nonfiction book (“American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin) on which Nolan’s screenplay was based. The film was a cultural juggernaut, grossing $975 million worldwide (the highest-grossing biopic in history) and winning Oscars for best picture, director, actor, supporting actor and more.
“When the Oppenheimer movie came out, there was a discussion about my Twitter account, and some people gently suggested that I go invisible, which was hurtful,” Woods said, claiming that his vocal support for Donald Trump over the years made him a risk to the Oppenheimer release and the awards campaign.
“On the other hand, I’m a practical person and I thought a lot of people put their efforts into this,” Woods continued. “So I’m going to be kind of an invisible pariah because the people who vote for the Oscars, which is so important to movies because it helps with the financial reward and the historical archive that it’s going to be in forever, I don’t want to take those people away.”
Woods made it clear that he didn't want Oppenheimer's team to have to deal with a “crazy” coming out of the woodwork and making up stories about him and his conservative views (“I've been told these stories a million times, and they're all lies,” he added).
“I don’t want that to happen and have this annoying story that James Woods is an executive producer, and we’re not going to see this movie!” Woods said. “So I stepped back and decided to take responsibility for the team. I wasn’t even invited to the Producers Guild of America Awards. And I’m a producer.”
Oppenheimer ended up winning the top prize at the Producers Guild of America Awards, as it did at the Golden Globes, Critics' Choice Awards, BAFTAs, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Academy Awards. As an executive producer, Woods was not included as part of the film's Oscar nomination and win for Best Picture. The top prize went to lead producers Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas, and Charles Roven.
Woods has largely stayed away from Hollywood and said he was dropped by his agent a few years ago because of his support for Trump. The actor's last on-screen appearance was in two episodes of Andrew Dice Clay's short-lived comedy series “Dice” in 2017.
Watch Woods' appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show below.
