The Ben Shapiro Show - Jon Voight | The Ben Shapiro Show Sunday Special Ep. 101

00:00:00.000 End of the war, when we pulled out of Vietnam, two and a half million people were killed.

00:00:05.000 It was people trying to cling to helicopters to hold on to their lives.

00:00:09.000 And I saw that, and I was shocked.

00:00:12.000 Because they showed me what communism was.

00:00:16.000 The winner is... John Boyd in Coming Home!

00:00:21.000 Four-time Oscar nominee, winner of one of those, 11-time Golden Globe nominee with four wins, star of Mission Impossible, Heat, Deliverance, Coming Home, Midnight Cowboy, and so many other classic movies, John Boyd is no question one of the Hollywood greats.

00:00:37.000 An iconic actor, wide acclaimed, tons of memorable characters.

00:00:41.000 And he happens to be one of the most outspoken conservatives and Trump supporters in all of the entertainment industry.

00:00:47.000 But that wasn't always the case.

00:00:48.000 As he was finding prominence in movies in the late 60s and early 70s, John found himself echoing the beliefs held by the majority of the liberal Hollywood circle.

00:00:56.000 In particular, he was actively marching and speaking out against the Vietnam War as a young man with newfound clout.

00:01:02.000 Make love, not war.

00:01:02.000 That's a message nearly anybody could get behind.

00:01:05.000 But something changed as John began to see the Marxist intentions behind the anti-war activism.

00:01:09.000 John began to realize he didn't stand for the things Hollywood was, by and large, selling.

00:01:14.000 In our show, we'll get into how, in 2020, we're living through another Marxist movement infiltrating American thought and society, one very similar to what John experienced firsthand in the 70s.

00:01:23.000 Plus, John tells us about his big break that launched him into the Hollywood limelight, his advice for conservatives trying to make it in Tinseltown, and his thoughts on the new WOKE Academy Award stipulations.

00:01:43.000 Hey, hey, and welcome.

00:01:43.000 This is the Ben Shapiro Show Sunday special.

00:01:45.000 Just a reminder, we'll be doing some bonus questions at the end with John.

00:01:48.000 The only way to get access to that part of the conversation is to become a member.

00:01:52.000 Head on over to dailywire.com, become a member.

00:01:53.000 You'll have access to all of the full conversations with every one of our awesome guests.

00:01:58.000 John Voigt, thanks so much for showing up.

00:02:00.000 Really appreciate it.

00:02:01.000 Oh, this is amazing.

00:02:02.000 Even watching you do that is an amazing thing.

00:02:05.000 I'm very excited to be here.

00:02:10.000 If that excited you, get ready because this is going to blow your mind.

00:02:15.000 So let's start with some Hollywood questions because we'll get to politics a little bit.

00:02:20.000 Now let me ask you a question.

00:02:21.000 Do you change your personality when you do this show?

00:02:24.000 I don't think so.

00:02:25.000 I might be a little bit less wild than I am normally.

00:02:28.000 Less wild?

00:02:29.000 Yeah.

00:02:30.000 Holy smoke.

00:02:31.000 I know, I'm basically dead when I do this show.

00:02:34.000 Well, you're fantastic.

00:02:35.000 You turn something on.

00:02:37.000 When I hear action, I usually calm down.

00:02:43.000 I don't go with the same steam that the director has when he says, action!

00:02:49.000 That's because you're a good actor.

00:02:50.000 Whereas I'm a terrible, terrible actor.

00:02:54.000 So for me, I act like a squirrel on Ritalin.

00:02:56.000 In any case, let's talk about how you got into acting in the first place, because everybody sort of has a different story as to how they got into that particular area of the industry.

00:03:05.000 How did you get into acting?

00:03:06.000 Well, when I was a little kid, three years old, and you have three kids, I started painting and drawing when I was three.

00:03:17.000 And that was my That was my whole focus.

00:03:22.000 I loved it.

00:03:23.000 I had papers all over the house.

00:03:25.000 My parents were very tolerant.

00:03:27.000 You had to walk over these paintings and drawings.

00:03:31.000 And I did that for a couple of years.

00:03:32.000 And then I saw movies with my father and my two brothers.

00:03:38.000 I was the middle of three boys, a year apart.

00:03:42.000 And we saw movies.

00:03:44.000 And that was when I was five.

00:03:46.000 And when I was six, I retired from painting and drawing because I realized this new media made my stuff, two-dimensional art, obsolete in my mind, right?

00:04:01.000 And I really, when I say retired, I had the sadness of it, you know?

00:04:06.000 An emptiness, in a way.

00:04:09.000 And I kept drawing and doing things for people's favors and stuff for school and all of that, but I'd lost my real connection.

00:04:19.000 And I didn't think that I would ever be part of this world of film.

00:04:26.000 But I was a fun kid, you know, I was playful, liked making people laugh, and I followed my dad's lead.

00:04:33.000 He was a golf professional, and he loved, he had a wonderful sense of humor, and he loved Sid Caesar.

00:04:43.000 You know, different things that he focused on, and I fell in love with Sid Caesar's work, and Imogen Koch, and you know, Carl Reiner, and those guys.

00:04:53.000 And I used to imitate Sid's characters at school.

00:04:59.000 And I got attention for it, you know.

00:05:02.000 Enough that they asked me to do the comedy lead in a show in the sixth grade.

00:05:08.000 And I took it very seriously.

00:05:11.000 And looking back, I did a lot of sophisticated things at that time that would have indicated that I would have gone on.

00:05:18.000 But I was playing golf.

00:05:20.000 My dad had taught me golf.

00:05:22.000 I loved all athletics, and I loved horsing around, and I had a lot of fun, you know?

00:05:27.000 And I didn't take anything too seriously.

00:05:30.000 Then in high school again, and then in college.

00:05:35.000 Every year of college, the first three years of college, I was always asking mostly gals What do you think I should do when I get out of college? 0.98

00:05:45.000 And in college I was very active in, I was taking art because I knew I could get through it and I was the president of the class, president of the fraternity, very active writing things for the newspaper.

00:06:02.000 I was walking through campus when I came back just before my senior year and I looked at the book that I had in my hand and it was a book of criticism of acting of the British actors, the great British actors, by Kenneth Tynan.

00:06:20.000 And there's all these reviews and I had marked all of Laurence Olivier's Heroic roles.

00:06:30.000 And Kenneth Tyner loved him so he was very romantic about Laurence Olivier and described everything that he did.

00:06:35.000 And I understood what Olivier was doing in creating those roles, how he illuminated things in the story by the way he chose to do the roles, the character acting.

00:06:48.000 And I looked at it and I said to myself, and I actually said it I think even verbally, I said, I know what I want to do.

00:06:58.000 I want to be him.

00:07:03.000 I looked very young when I was young.

00:07:07.000 Blonde hair and tall, thin fella.

00:07:11.000 And I knew I wasn't going to be mature for a while to do certain kinds of roles.

00:07:17.000 But from that moment I knew I was going to go to New York and start school all over again trying to learn a few things and get into acting.

00:07:25.000 And I knew at that moment that I wasn't going to quit.

00:07:28.000 I was going to stay with it.

00:07:29.000 It's funny things that you remember, you know?

00:07:32.000 And sure enough I had my ups and downs but I was very fortunate to have the career I have.

00:07:39.000 So I want to ask you how the big break happened where you went from being a guy in college who wanted to act to, you know, being an Oscar winner and multiple Oscar nominee and all of this.

00:07:47.000 I'm going to ask you about that in just one second.

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00:09:11.000 Okay, so you decide that acting is what you want to do and you go to New York.

00:09:15.000 A lot of people end up going to New York thinking that this is what they're going to do and then, you know, washing dishes three years later.

00:09:20.000 So how does the big break happen where you don't end up washing dishes in New York?

00:09:24.000 Well, I did a little stuff to earn a living, you know, trying to help my dad out.

00:09:28.000 I wasn't very good at it.

00:09:29.000 I had to lean on my father a lot.

00:09:33.000 But I was fortunate enough to gain entrance into Sandy Meisner's professional class. 0.92

00:09:42.000 And in that, I learned some basics.

00:09:46.000 I was very unsure because I had gone to a rather bad teacher prior, who was full of himself and didn't really know what he was talking about.

00:10:00.000 But, you know, teachers have so much control over their students.

00:10:04.000 And, you know, you're glued to every word.

00:10:07.000 And then I realized this guy wasn't taking me anywhere.

00:10:10.000 And I found my way to Sandy Meisner, and Sandy gave me a structure that I really deeply needed.

00:10:15.000 And I spent two years going to every class, twice a week.

00:10:21.000 And at the end of that time I came out thinking, look, now I have to go to work here.

00:10:28.000 And I was doing other jobs and stuff, but I always found a way to get to class.

00:10:33.000 And then I was very fortunate to get a part in A View from the Bridge with Bobby Duvall as the lead.

00:10:41.000 And it was an Arthur Miller play, a great Arthur Miller play.

00:10:44.000 And I was very celebrated in that part of Rodolfo in A View from the Bridge.

00:10:52.000 And I felt, okay, yeah, I can do dramatic acting.

00:10:59.000 I'm no more fooling around.

00:11:00.000 And then that led, finally, to me getting Midnight Cowboy because I met Dustin Hoffman there.

00:11:07.000 We became friends, in a way.

00:11:09.000 And when I read Midnight Cowboy, sent him the book, I was probably one of 20 people who sent him the book because the character was so...

00:11:22.000 possible for him, you know.

00:11:24.000 And his work in The Graduate, his success, his celebrity made it possible to make Midnight Cowboy and eventually after screen test and stuff like that I was able to get that role and that was the beginning.

00:11:41.000 And I worked with all, I never, one moment of it Uh, was unappreciative of the break that I had been given and the wonderful circumstance of working with these very, very talented people.

00:11:56.000 And Dustin, of course, was at the top of the list, too.

00:11:58.000 So, actors prepare for parts in different ways, obviously.

00:12:01.000 What's the way that you prepare for a part?

00:12:02.000 You get a script, you've decided you want to do it.

00:12:04.000 Now, how do you prepare to get another part?

00:12:05.000 Well, I asked you, Ben.

00:12:06.000 I asked you.

00:12:07.000 The first time, when I spoke to Ben prior to just doing this, I asked Ben if he had a photographic memory because his...

00:12:17.000 He's amazing.

00:12:19.000 Ben is amazing.

00:12:20.000 We'll talk about him later.

00:12:23.000 But I asked if he had a photographic memory.

00:12:27.000 I don't.

00:12:28.000 I don't have a photographic memory.

00:12:30.000 And it's hard for me to learn words easily.

00:12:36.000 I have to get into the character somehow.

00:12:39.000 I have to believe in it a little bit, you know?

00:12:41.000 And I find that going over the words and testing the words and improvising and playing, that's how I get to the part.

00:12:52.000 And if I had a photographic memory, as many do, I probably would miss out on a lot of insights on my way to performing the role.

00:13:02.000 So it gives me time to marinate and digest and then produce whatever I have done.

00:13:08.000 How much of it is spontaneous and how much of it is prepared?

00:13:10.000 I've always wondered this when you watch somebody on film.

00:13:14.000 It's all prepared in some way, but the real, really wonderful performances, the great performances, in my estimation, come from people who have that danger.

00:13:29.000 They're doing it for the first time in some way, they're improvising something, you see?

00:13:34.000 So, when I go on a set, I try to say, I have a little phrase that I use actually, and I I'm just there.

00:13:46.000 It's almost a challenge to see if I'll do anything.

00:13:49.000 What's the phrase?

00:13:50.000 No, I can't tell you.

00:13:53.000 It's just any way of just saying, I don't give a damn.

00:13:56.000 So I get up there, and then it's all fresh.

00:14:01.000 Every take, I'm looking for what's there.

00:14:05.000 And not preparing to do it a certain way.

00:14:08.000 Now, understand, I've gone through many, many different thoughts about it and played with it many times before.

00:14:17.000 So when I get up, I've tried a lot of avenues.

00:14:20.000 So a lot of avenues are open.

00:14:22.000 I've closed off nothing, finally, when I get to it.

00:14:25.000 But I know how this character speaks.

00:14:28.000 I know what he feels about this particular thing.

00:14:30.000 I know who I'm talking to if I'm going to use other people in my life and my own life experiences and stuff like that.

00:14:37.000 And many, many techniques.

00:14:38.000 I think all of them are worthwhile.

00:14:40.000 But finally, that little edge that you have when you're really listening and really at risk in a sequence, that's when the best acting comes.

00:14:49.000 So the parts you've played are incredibly diverse.

00:14:51.000 I mean, you've played everything from hero to villain and everything in between.

00:14:54.000 So what are the favorite parts that you've played?

00:14:56.000 What's your favorite stuff you've done?

00:14:57.000 Well, I think that all the ones that are successful are dear to me, really.

00:15:05.000 Midnight Cowboy, that character, that came a long way.

00:15:08.000 I mean, that was very, very interesting.

00:15:10.000 I got that part because I had an insight into that role by the time I did the screen test, because I'd read the book and I'd thought about it a lot.

00:15:18.000 And I got the role because I was talking to John Schlesinger.

00:15:21.000 He said, oh, John, well, you're an interesting young man, and I'll tell you what we're going to do.

00:15:27.000 They had three people.

00:15:27.000 We have three people.

00:15:28.000 We're quite interested in one of them.

00:15:30.000 I am.

00:15:31.000 And I'd like you to spend some time with our writer, Waldo Salt.

00:15:36.000 He's a lovely fellow.

00:15:37.000 And if he thinks you're interesting enough, we'll open up and make another Birth in the Screen Test.

00:15:44.000 I said, well I couldn't be happier, you know, and more grateful.

00:15:50.000 I'm delighted I'll meet Waldo Salk.

00:15:53.000 I pursued that character.

00:15:55.000 Because I knew that if someone took that character and had any vanity associated with the role, if they wanted to be cool, let's say, at that time, you see this is the end of the 60s, they wanted to be attractive, you know, lose the part.

00:16:18.000 I said, this fellow is lonely, he's so insecure, he doesn't know Who he is exactly.

00:16:27.000 And he's trying to find a place for himself in society.

00:16:31.000 And he's trying to, you know, what people have told him about him, you know, I'm a really good lover and, you know, all that stuff.

00:16:39.000 He's trying to, that's the energy.

00:16:41.000 He's really at risk in every scene.

00:16:44.000 And that loneliness will provide a lot of humor.

00:16:48.000 And it will also touch your heart.

00:16:51.000 That's what I said.

00:16:53.000 And he liked that idea.

00:16:54.000 He said, that's exactly right, John.

00:16:56.000 He said, well, that's all to me.

00:16:58.000 And so he recommended that I do the screen test.

00:17:01.000 And subsequently, I did it.

00:17:04.000 And then I'll tell you this little thing.

00:17:07.000 My screen test came down to two people.

00:17:12.000 One was eliminated right away, the one that was the front runner, let's say, according to what they told me.

00:17:20.000 And then it came down to myself and a very good actor named Michael Sarazin.

00:17:25.000 And Michael had just gotten a big role with George C. Scott that was coming out pretty soon.

00:17:31.000 So he was more of, they had more capital in his corner.

00:17:40.000 And they were looking at our screen test back and forth.

00:17:44.000 And at one point, Dustin Hoffman was asked to Look at the screen test.

00:17:50.000 Now Dusty was a fellow who I knew very well and liked very much.

00:17:54.000 He saw me do that work on View from the Bridge.

00:17:57.000 And then he became a big success with The Graduate.

00:18:02.000 And I had never seen him act.

00:18:03.000 We just came to help out the director on View from the Bridge.

00:18:08.000 So anyway, he saw the screen test and apparently they asked him, Dusty, what do you think?

00:18:17.000 And he said, well, When I look at Michael Saracen's screen test, I'm looking at me.

00:18:24.000 When I look at Jon Voight's screen test, I'm looking at Jon.

00:18:28.000 And I told Dusty to check to see if it was real, you know?

00:18:33.000 Because these stories, everything gets, you know, many stories get shaped out of something like that.

00:18:39.000 And he said, he said, oh, that's good.

00:18:45.000 Well, obviously the story with Dusty, he was a joy to work with.

00:18:48.000 We had a lot of fun.

00:18:49.000 We improvised all the time.

00:18:50.000 remember it. So, so anyway, that's how it happened for me.

00:18:54.000 You've worked with some of the biggest actors in Hollywood because you are one of the biggest actors in Hollywood. So who are your favorites to work with on a personal level?

00:18:59.000 Well, obviously, the story with Dusty, he was a joy to work with. We had a lot of fun. We improvised all the time. We improvised a lot of stuff in the film. We were on the same level We know how to feed each other.

00:19:14.000 And that doesn't happen all the time.

00:19:16.000 You know, chemistry, you talk about chemistry in our business, and it's a magical aspect.

00:19:23.000 Do they have chemistry?

00:19:25.000 And I've been very fortunate because I've had chemistry with a lot of wonderful people.

00:19:31.000 So if I go through the list of the things that I've done, I have to say, Thank God that actor was there, you know, like Burt Reynolds in DELIVERANCE or Jane Fondon in COMING HOME, Ricky Schroeder in THE CHAMP and Eric Roberts in RUNAWAY TRAIN.

00:19:52.000 Those are the early ones and then later on I worked with great people like Shia LaBeouf in HOLES.

00:20:03.000 J-Lo and Anaconda and stuff like that.

00:20:06.000 But when they're right for a role, when someone's right, they have a certain energy.

00:20:12.000 If I was miscast...

00:20:15.000 In a film.

00:20:17.000 I could damage a film for being miscast.

00:20:22.000 Sometimes my ego tells me I can do almost anything but I can't.

00:20:28.000 I'd be wrong for certain things.

00:20:30.000 So I'm very grateful for the roles that I'm able to deliver and very grateful for those people who come and light it up so that I can do good work.

00:20:42.000 So how do you pick scripts?

00:20:44.000 I mean, I'm sure you've been receiving thousands of scripts a year for every year of your career.

00:20:49.000 Well, not so much that, but something has to touch me in a script.

00:20:53.000 I have to sense a truth in it.

00:20:55.000 And I can be way off, but I sense something I want to say in the script.

00:21:02.000 There has to be something.

00:21:03.000 And if it isn't there, I try to make it there.

00:21:06.000 You know what I mean?

00:21:07.000 Because if somebody's saying, well, this love is coming towards you, you'd take the role and do what you can with it to help them out and do this piece.

00:21:15.000 And so I have a reputation of really taking a deep interest in the script.

00:21:23.000 And that's right, I do.

00:21:26.000 I want it to say something that I can live with.

00:21:30.000 Do you have any near misses?

00:21:31.000 Things that you consider doing past that time?

00:21:33.000 No, I don't.

00:21:34.000 No, everything was perfect.

00:21:38.000 No, the ones that didn't work out so well, I don't really, they're like children, you know, you're rooting for all the children and you didn't quite make it or whatever, but not so many.

00:21:49.000 You know, I've done pretty well.

00:21:51.000 And the ones that I was offered that I didn't do, I'll give you an example.

00:21:55.000 I'll say, what would be a part that you don't think you're quite right for?

00:22:00.000 They offered me Love Story and I said to them, when they offered it to me, I was, you know, one of the hot actors at the time and could get something done.

00:22:10.000 And Ali McGraw was going to do it and I said, no, I can't take this role.

00:22:15.000 I said, I'll ruin it.

00:22:17.000 I'll make it too complicated.

00:22:18.000 They said, what you want is a simple, all-American guy, really decent, good guy and that's it, you know, and somebody who can deliver that.

00:22:28.000 That's what happened.

00:22:29.000 They got a great actor to do that one.

00:22:31.000 So let's turn to politics now, and politics in Hollywood.

00:22:34.000 So you're obviously one of the most outspoken conservatives in Hollywood.

00:22:38.000 Yes, you've noticed that.

00:22:39.000 I have.

00:22:40.000 You noticed that early on.

00:22:41.000 It took us 20 minutes to get there, but eventually I came around.

00:22:41.000 Yeah, I know.

00:22:45.000 So how did you first discover, number one, that you even were conservative?

00:22:50.000 Because being in the arts, that's not a typical thing.

00:22:52.000 Yeah, yeah.

00:22:53.000 Well, you know, when I talked about going to school with Sandy Meisner and learning to act, it was the 60s.

00:23:02.000 The 60s was a huge time.

00:23:07.000 Great chaos, great disturbance, and what was going on at that time was in many parts caused by the death of John Kennedy.

00:23:23.000 I have been quoted as saying that America was traumatized by that.

00:23:28.000 And I believe we were in some way.

00:23:31.000 And there were forces at work to try to bring down this country internally.

00:23:41.000 No one was alert to it.

00:23:45.000 Most people were not alert to it.

00:23:48.000 And I'm talking about Russia.

00:23:53.000 Cold War with Russia. 0.52

00:23:54.000 What did that mean?

00:23:55.000 It was a war.

00:23:57.000 And what were their tools?

00:24:01.000 What was their weapon in that war?

00:24:04.000 We had the atomic bomb.

00:24:07.000 That gave people pause with us.

00:24:11.000 And we used it wisely, that energy.

00:24:16.000 To warn people off.

00:24:18.000 But what we didn't see was the techniques that they employed to undermine our country, to destabilize our country. 0.76

00:24:28.000 And techniques, it's a list of things that they intended to do.

00:24:33.000 And they had had practice because they certainly turned around Eastern Europe.

00:24:39.000 North Korea, Vietnam, and eventually South Vietnam as well, they had these techniques that were at work.

00:24:47.000 Cuba.

00:24:49.000 And those same techniques were being used, employed here.

00:24:51.000 So, all of a sudden, this chaos erupted, and all of a sudden, all of this came to the surface.

00:24:57.000 There were people talking in a way they hadn't talked about America before.

00:25:02.000 And everything was negative.

00:25:05.000 And a list of negative things.

00:25:07.000 America's this, America's doing this, America's... And these were planted in our society.

00:25:17.000 And you know when you say, make love not war, right?

00:25:22.000 That was a plant from this worm that was put into our system.

00:25:31.000 There was the Frankfurt School that came in.

00:25:34.000 You know all of this stuff.

00:25:35.000 You're educated about it.

00:25:37.000 And most of the people were just saying, well, it's easy to be critical of people.

00:25:43.000 Once you are critical, You know, it sticks to you in a certain way.

00:25:49.000 If I said, well Ben Shapiro is an egomaniac, and you know what I mean, he's cheap too.

00:25:56.000 Boom.

00:25:57.000 Somebody will hold on to that, you know?

00:25:59.000 And that'll be your definition until you're somehow proven wrong.

00:26:03.000 Do you see?

00:26:03.000 People like to know stuff.

00:26:06.000 You know what I mean?

00:26:07.000 That's why so much of the television today is critical.

00:26:10.000 Everything's negative, negative, negative.

00:26:12.000 Because it sells in some sense.

00:26:15.000 Anyway.

00:26:16.000 And this society that we have is this free society.

00:26:19.000 What an amazing thing.

00:26:21.000 Freedom.

00:26:23.000 Freedom to speak.

00:26:24.000 Now we're having problems with that today, as we know in our schools and stuff.

00:26:29.000 You're not allowed to say this and that, do you see what I mean?

00:26:32.000 You're not allowed to really express yourself without endangering yourself, do you see?

00:26:40.000 And you know that very well, you know.

00:26:44.000 Anyway, that's what was happening at that time in our society, and we were unaware of it.

00:26:50.000 Because of the freedoms that we offered, people who were enemies of our country could find a way to the media, to Hollywood, to our universities.

00:27:00.000 They could speak at our universities.

00:27:02.000 Freedom!

00:27:04.000 And so we had people who were looking to undermine and destroy our society that had a connection to the young people.

00:27:19.000 And so we have the 60s, what is it?

00:27:24.000 Sex, drugs, and rock and roll. 0.93

00:27:26.000 How wonderful that is, huh? 0.96

00:27:29.000 You're gonna raise a kid on that?

00:27:31.000 And that's what was going on.

00:27:33.000 And this was, I say this was planted.

00:27:35.000 This stuff was planted.

00:27:37.000 So it was a chaotic time.

00:27:40.000 And I was just, I was pulled along with it.

00:27:43.000 They had marches against the war, right?

00:27:47.000 They focused on the war.

00:27:48.000 This is a way we can do it.

00:27:49.000 The war.

00:27:51.000 You know, America's imperialist.

00:27:55.000 Who was imperialist?

00:27:57.000 Communists were trying to move in to then take over that country.

00:28:00.000 And I came, after I had some success, especially, a lot of people were focused on me.

00:28:04.000 They wanted to, John, would you come and say a word or this, meet so-and-so, or whatever it is.

00:28:10.000 And some of those characters were pretty charismatic characters, too.

00:28:13.000 Like Abby Hoffman, for instance, who I knew.

00:28:17.000 I was introduced to him, you know?

00:28:18.000 And Abby was a very talented guy, but he was drug-filled and he was in the wrong, he was set in the wrong frame.

00:28:30.000 But he was very charismatic, nice to be with, interesting, very bright.

00:28:35.000 So he was a torpedo, you know?

00:28:39.000 Anyway, so I was caught up in that a little bit.

00:28:44.000 And especially because the people, the young people in this industry, when I got there, were all, you know, deeply on the left.

00:28:55.000 And I went on a march or so to Washington.

00:28:59.000 I went on one of the marches to Washington against the war.

00:29:02.000 Everyone knew that that march was organized by the American Communist Party.

00:29:10.000 I did.

00:29:12.000 And I didn't even think about it.

00:29:13.000 I said, oh well, this is, you know, they're good at organizing or something.

00:29:18.000 What?

00:29:18.000 You know, I didn't put things together.

00:29:22.000 And I think, and that's the way it is, you know.

00:29:25.000 You're not thinking in any depth about these things.

00:29:31.000 At least I wasn't.

00:29:32.000 What was my focus?

00:29:33.000 I wanted to get a job.

00:29:35.000 I wanted to work in Hollywood.

00:29:36.000 I wanted to be one of those guys that was, you know, the continuance of Cary Grant and Gary Cooper and those guys.

00:29:45.000 Right?

00:29:45.000 That's what I was thinking.

00:29:46.000 And I was very aware of the world cinema and all of that.

00:29:53.000 And that was very romantic to me, all of it.

00:29:57.000 But anyway, I was not paying a whole lot of attention to what really was coming down, and I didn't have the tools to understand it.

00:30:06.000 And then, what happened to me was, end of the war, when we pulled out of Vietnam, two and a half million people were killed in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

00:30:25.000 There was so much bloodshed.

00:30:27.000 It was a horror.

00:30:29.000 It was people trying to cling to helicopters to hold on to their lives.

00:30:35.000 And I saw that and I was shocked, you know, because they showed me what communism was.

00:30:43.000 These people who were in desperate need, the people, the boat people, trying to save their lives and their families.

00:30:50.000 And that we had pulled out and we were the only thing holding that bloodshed back that wall of terror.

00:31:00.000 I felt that deeply.

00:31:03.000 And I also saw most of the people who were my fellow people on the left walk away from that, not even give it a second thought.

00:31:15.000 And that got to me.

00:31:19.000 Disturbed me.

00:31:20.000 And I remember Joan Baez had an article in the paper, took out one page of the paper to say what was going on in these countries and how much destruction and horror there was for these people and how no one was taken care of, no one cared.

00:31:39.000 She was right.

00:31:41.000 And I identified with that.

00:31:42.000 I said, that's me too.

00:31:44.000 I don't like this.

00:31:46.000 But it took me a long while, because propaganda, it's scientifically developed to infiltrate your psyche, and it's hard to get rid of it.

00:32:01.000 Negativity has a special connection, magnetism.

00:32:06.000 You know, as I said, if you say something negative, You know, it has a draw.

00:32:12.000 That day that I read that paper and that day that I saw those statistics wasn't the end of it for me.

00:32:18.000 I tried to, you know, to see where I'd gone wrong.

00:32:23.000 And little by little, and with the help of many good people, I have to say, I came around to understanding.

00:32:31.000 Now, what do I say about today to those guys today in Hollywood who are just like me, coming in, naive, who wanted their careers to, you know, they want that beautiful career, they want that golden statue, they want, you know, the celebrity that comes with it, they want the money.

00:32:49.000 And they're getting a lot of money because they're very talented, you see?

00:32:55.000 What do I say to them?

00:32:57.000 I say, this is a serious time, fellas.

00:33:02.000 I say, pay attention.

00:33:06.000 Find the truth.

00:33:08.000 Listen to the ones who are doing the deep work like a Ben Shapiro.

00:33:17.000 Listen to these people who are trying to warn you and are trying to educate you and bring you forth.

00:33:25.000 Our country is a special country, very special in the history of the world.

00:33:30.000 When our forefathers came up with that Declaration of Independence and those wonderful words, this was a shockwave throughout the world.

00:33:39.000 This changed the whole perspective of leadership and government.

00:33:47.000 Protect this country.

00:33:50.000 When people say, from Cuba, you want to know, if you guys want to know, I say that to you, if you guys want to know what's going on now and what the stakes are, talk to somebody who's from Cuba, from Poland, from these places where this horror has been inserted into their countries. 0.82

00:34:15.000 Talk to them.

00:34:17.000 They'll open your eyes to what's going on.

00:34:19.000 It's the same thing that's happening here.

00:34:21.000 The people from Cuba heard the same words.

00:34:24.000 These people that are talking, these people are Marxists right now.

00:34:30.000 These are Marxists.

00:34:31.000 This is a Marxist movement, guys.

00:34:34.000 Black Lives Matter is a Marxist movement.

00:34:37.000 They admit it.

00:34:39.000 The founders say, we're Marxists.

00:34:40.000 We're trained Marxists.

00:34:44.000 And these people who say they're community organizers, they're agitators, and they're trained, and they're clever.

00:34:52.000 Some of them very gifted people.

00:34:55.000 Know what's going on.

00:34:57.000 Seek the truth.

00:34:59.000 Look at the facts.

00:35:00.000 Look at the facts.

00:35:02.000 While you're running around doing all these other things, it's easy to pay attention to all the little things.

00:35:08.000 Oh, what dress am I going to wear?

00:35:09.000 Or what so-and-so?

00:35:11.000 Maybe I should go on his show.

00:35:15.000 Start looking at what's going on in our country.

00:35:18.000 Be responsible.

00:35:19.000 This is your country.

00:35:21.000 Be a citizen of this country.

00:35:23.000 Be a responsible citizen.

00:35:25.000 Know what's going on.

00:35:27.000 I'm going to ask you about the blowback that you've gotten in Hollywood for all of this because Hollywood conservatives don't exactly have it easy in this particular town.

00:35:33.000 No, they don't.

00:35:34.000 So I'm going to ask you about that in just one second.

00:35:35.000 First, let's talk about your internet safety and security.

00:35:38.000 Hackers are looking for your data.

00:35:39.000 Big tech, they're looking for your data.

00:35:40.000 They want to make money off of you.

00:35:42.000 Well, why should they make money off of you?

00:35:43.000 It's your data.

00:35:44.000 This is why I use ExpressVPN to stay secure online my own self.

00:35:47.000 It's hard to know whether your device or network is vulnerable.

00:35:50.000 If you ever use Wi-Fi at a hotel or a shopping mall or anywhere else, you're sending data over an open network.

00:35:54.000 That means no encryption at all.

00:35:56.000 The best way to ensure all of your data is encrypted, can't be read, is to use ExpressVPN.

00:36:01.000 You just download the ExpressVPN app on your computer or your smartphone, you tap one button, and now you have secured 100% of your network data, and then you can use the internet the way you normally would.

00:36:09.000 ExpressVPN.

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00:36:19.000 You always want to protect yourself from bad actors out there.

00:36:21.000 So why exactly would you leave your data vulnerable?

00:36:23.000 It makes no sense at all.

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00:36:26.000 If you want the best in online security and privacy protection, head on over right now to expressvpn.com slash ben for three extra months free with a one-year package.

00:36:34.000 Protect your internet today with the VPN I trust to keep my own data safe.

00:36:38.000 Go to expressvpn.com slash ben to get started.

00:36:40.000 All right, so let's talk about your experiences in Hollywood as an out-and-out conservative.

00:36:45.000 I wrote an entire book about how difficult it is to be conservative in Hollywood.

00:36:48.000 I interviewed a bunch of people in Hollywood who basically admitted to discriminating against conservatives.

00:36:52.000 Many top-name actors and directors and producers who said that they literally would not hire conservatives if they came across them, or that if their entire writing room was staffed by That's just because the most talented people, of course, are always on the left.

00:37:05.000 So what sort of treatment have you gotten in Hollywood now that you are so overtly conservative and of course pro-President Trump as well?

00:37:12.000 I know that I don't get certain work or attention because of who I am and what I stand for.

00:37:21.000 But I think that it doesn't affect me at all.

00:37:28.000 I mean, because if you know something is right, you know?

00:37:35.000 And especially, I'm gonna say especially this for me, to be on the right side, to be for something that's good.

00:37:43.000 Like, let's just say, to do something for other people.

00:37:47.000 If somebody said, you gotta think of yourself, you can't do anything for other people.

00:37:52.000 I know that that's not the truth.

00:37:56.000 You can't pull me away from that.

00:37:58.000 No matter what slander they level at me, I'm going to feel good about myself when I help other people.

00:38:07.000 And that's where I stand.

00:38:09.000 I feel good about myself.

00:38:12.000 So none of that really gets to me.

00:38:15.000 I know that when this life ends, I want to be able to say I did the best I could with this life.

00:38:25.000 And in order to do that, my standards are very high.

00:38:30.000 Very high.

00:38:31.000 When people say, when they talk about a great person, I heard this just yesterday, they talk about the sculpture of a great person, what is the most important element of that description.

00:38:52.000 What makes a great person?

00:38:54.000 And the greatest people, the greatest people, we're talking about another level here, we're talking about the greatest people, are humble.

00:39:02.000 We talked about a person who was humble, humility, and how that humility showed itself in this life.

00:39:09.000 We're talking about Moses actually, right?

00:39:12.000 The most humble man who ever lived, someone said, right?

00:39:17.000 And That's the area I'm dealing with.

00:39:22.000 I'm competing on that level.

00:39:26.000 So, I want to be the best human being I can be.

00:39:32.000 And as I get older, the best example, because people are looking up to you.

00:39:36.000 What's your advice for young actors?

00:39:37.000 I get this question a lot because I've written books about this and because I hang out with a lot of Hollywood people.

00:39:43.000 You're a young actor.

00:39:43.000 You're from not L.A.

00:39:45.000 You want to come out here.

00:39:46.000 You want to be a star, but you're conservative.

00:39:49.000 What do you do?

00:39:49.000 Do you hide that?

00:39:50.000 Do you sort of keep it under the table?

00:39:52.000 Well, right now we have an election coming up.

00:39:54.000 out out and proud because and I'll be honest what I've said is that everybody I know in Hollywood who's very prominent became conservative after they were very prominent.

00:40:02.000 I've yet to meet somebody who was openly conservative when they started in Hollywood.

00:40:05.000 And then right now, right now we have an election coming up.

00:40:09.000 Right now, stakes are very high.

00:40:13.000 The country needs us now.

00:40:15.000 Anybody who understands the value of this country and the battle that's going on to bring it down has to do whatever they can to contribute to Donald Trump's victory and to our country being able to Revive.

00:40:36.000 Renew itself.

00:40:38.000 It's a tremendous moment in history.

00:40:41.000 And I would say everybody should do everything they can.

00:40:44.000 Now, does that mean that I'm not trying to tell people how to get a job?

00:40:50.000 I'm not interested in that really at the moment.

00:40:53.000 I'm saying do what you can.

00:40:55.000 And if you can get a wonderful role and be an influence to other people, that's a wonderful thing.

00:41:05.000 And yet you can't discard your integrity.

00:41:09.000 You know, you have to bring that along somehow.

00:41:11.000 You have to care for your integrity as well.

00:41:13.000 So there's many actors, very, very prominent actors now, who are quietly doing their thing.

00:41:20.000 They're successful.

00:41:22.000 They don't have to come out and speak like I do.

00:41:24.000 I'm doing that for other people.

00:41:26.000 Do you know what I'm saying?

00:41:27.000 I'm kind of putting myself up and saying, just step back, fellas.

00:41:30.000 I'll take care of that.

00:41:31.000 Do you know?

00:41:32.000 But everyone must do something.

00:41:35.000 Where do you think the future of the industry is, given how far left the industry itself is moving?

00:41:38.000 We had this announcement in the past few weeks that the Academy Awards is now only going to be looking at staffing of particular films, certain percentages of black or gay or Hispanic or women, that the plotline has to revolve around one of these minority groups.

00:41:53.000 One of these criteria has to be applied, which, you know, basically rules out nearly every Oscar winner between 1933 and effectively 2007.

00:41:58.000 So... Well, we've gotten off Off a little bit, not a little bit, we've gotten off.

00:42:06.000 And we think that we're doing something, these people think that they're doing something generous and kind.

00:42:14.000 This racial disturbance that we're looking at was created. 0.95

00:42:19.000 You know, if you look back at the, we mentioned the Frankfurt School.

00:42:27.000 Some of the stuff that they talked about, gender stuff and stuff like that, it was inserted into this society to break the family, to break the churches, to destroy some of the fabric that keeps our country together. 0.99

00:42:42.000 And that's what you're participating in.

00:42:44.000 People say, what about Black Lives Matter, John?

00:42:48.000 And I say, well, if you're teaching children that they are victims, I say it's child abuse.

00:43:00.000 Every child can do their God's gift, pave the way for them to be their best selves.

00:43:11.000 Don't tell them that they can't do this or can't do that.

00:43:15.000 Every child is a powerhouse spiritually.

00:43:18.000 Every human being potentially is a spiritual powerhouse.

00:43:23.000 So let them be that.

00:43:25.000 Encourage that.

00:43:27.000 Let them grow to their full height.

00:43:30.000 And I think the races are being used continuously.

00:43:34.000 That's it.

00:43:35.000 One of the things that's fascinating to watch is the devolution of Hollywood itself.

00:43:40.000 So it used to be very centralized in LA, now you do production everywhere.

00:43:44.000 And because of digital streaming, it's not even as though there's a lot of gatekeepers anymore.

00:43:48.000 So are you hopeful that the kind of diffuse nature of Hollywood now, that you can produce a film in the middle of nowhere with a small budget, that this is going to break up a lot of the Hollywood monopoly and allow an opportunity for other kinds of content to flourish?

00:44:02.000 I think that's possible, yes.

00:44:03.000 I think, you know, you can make a film with an iPhone or something, you know?

00:44:08.000 I don't mean to just advertise iPhones, fellas, but, you know, they have this technology these days.

00:44:15.000 Everybody's got it, you know?

00:44:16.000 Every kid's got it.

00:44:18.000 So, yes, things are going to change, but there will always be artists that use this painting, this paint, you know, in some way to give us something.

00:44:28.000 And they have to be sound of mind and heart.

00:44:31.000 That's what they have to be.

00:44:33.000 So, I see, myself, I see the hope is, where's the hope?

00:44:42.000 As I've come along to understand myself a little bit better, I've understood the importance of God.

00:44:53.000 And I'm a person who loves all people of all faiths.

00:45:00.000 And I say God is not sleeping.

00:45:05.000 And I said this in Israel one time, I said, watch out. 0.99

00:45:10.000 Because Melchizedek, when he had the writing on the wall, that was his doom. 1.00

00:45:16.000 It was written on the wall.

00:45:18.000 God has a way of helping the good.

00:45:23.000 And now is the time when we need God most.

00:45:26.000 And I think something is going to happen here.

00:45:30.000 I think something is happening.

00:45:32.000 With people, righteous people are coming to the fore.

00:45:36.000 So many good righteous people we know.

00:45:39.000 You know, even, you know, splendid people of great courage, of great intelligence, of great kindness.

00:45:49.000 And they're saying, come along, let's come back together.

00:45:53.000 Let's pull ourselves back and heal.

00:45:58.000 That's what I say too.

00:46:00.000 So in a second, I'm going to ask you about your really interesting relationship with Judaism, because you're not Jewish, but you have a really interesting relationship with the religion and with Chabad.

00:46:07.000 I'm going to ask you about that in just one second.

00:46:09.000 But first, let's talk about life insurance.

00:46:11.000 Are you a responsible human being?

00:46:13.000 If you are a responsible human being, you need life insurance.

00:46:14.000 I mean, it is that simple.

00:46:15.000 If you've got people who are dependent on your income, and then you should die, well, they are not only going to miss you, they're going to miss the money that comes from you.

00:46:22.000 But this is why you can get life insurance.

00:46:24.000 You may be thinking, Can I get life insurance right now?

00:46:26.000 I mean, there's a pandemic, and there's riots, and the plagues, and everything else.

00:46:29.000 Yes, you can still get life insurance, and you should.

00:46:31.000 Right now, you could save $1,500 or more a year by using PolicyGenius to compare life insurance policies.

00:46:37.000 When you're shopping for a policy that could last for a decade or more, the savings really start to add up.

00:46:41.000 So what is PolicyGenius?

00:46:42.000 I am glad you asked.

00:46:43.000 It's an insurance marketplace built and backed by a team of industry experts.

00:46:46.000 Here's how it works.

00:46:48.000 One, head to PolicyGenius.com.

00:46:49.000 In minutes, you can work out how much coverage you need, compare quotes from top insurers, and find that best price.

00:46:54.000 Two, you apply for your lowest price.

00:46:56.000 And three, the PolicyGenius team handles all the paperwork and the red tape.

00:47:00.000 PolicyGenius works for you.

00:47:01.000 They don't work for the insurance companies.

00:47:02.000 So if you hit any speed bumps, they take care of it.

00:47:04.000 They even have policies that allow eligible customers to skip that in-person medical exam and do it over the phone, which is super convenient these days.

00:47:11.000 Now, PolicyGenius has been helping out my friend Jeremy Boring get his life insurance.

00:47:15.000 So if you need life insurance, Do like Jeremy and head on over to PolicyGenius.com right now to get started.

00:47:20.000 You could save $1,500 or more a year by comparing quotes on their marketplace.

00:47:24.000 PolicyGenius.

00:47:25.000 When it comes to insurance, it is nice and extremely important to get it right.

00:47:29.000 Let's talk about your relationship with Judaism.

00:47:31.000 You have this really kind of fascinating relationship with Judaism.

00:47:33.000 You appear on the Chabad Telethon.

00:47:34.000 You have a very warm relationship with Israel, but you're not Jewish yourself.

00:47:38.000 So how did this come about?

00:47:40.000 Well, first of all, I wanted to just say one thing.

00:47:42.000 I'm sitting here with Ben Shapiro.

00:47:44.000 I saw Ben Shapiro when he was a younger fellow, just out of school, and I immediately took to you.

00:47:51.000 I said, oh my gosh, this is wonderful.

00:47:53.000 Because I'm always looking for the righteous guys, you know?

00:47:56.000 And I saw him, and then I saw, I remember when you, You took on UCLA when they were out of line when there was some anti-Semitic... The BDS stuff, yeah.

00:48:06.000 Boycott Divestment Sanctions.

00:48:06.000 The what?

00:48:07.000 Yes, exactly.

00:48:08.000 And you straightened them out with what?

00:48:11.000 What was your weapon?

00:48:12.000 Intelligence.

00:48:13.000 That you were able to use your information, to glean this information, put it in the right order, and put it on the table, and back everybody off with the truth.

00:48:25.000 It was an amazing, amazing thing.

00:48:27.000 I think you can get it on YouTube.

00:48:29.000 Yeah, it's still available, I think.

00:48:29.000 Maybe you can get it on YouTube.

00:48:31.000 Go look at it.

00:48:32.000 It was an amazing moment.

00:48:33.000 And then I saw you take on more and more things as you have grown, and I just want to say that I saw you first.

00:48:49.000 I'm very grateful for that and there are so many people and people that you've encouraged to put the spotlight on.

00:48:57.000 We have wonderful warriors for the truth and good now because of you and your brothers and sisters who have come forth.

00:49:10.000 Thank God.

00:49:11.000 And you've gone into these areas of the universities.

00:49:16.000 We've got to save those kids.

00:49:17.000 We've got to change this.

00:49:18.000 We've got to save those kids.

00:49:19.000 Because where did the KGB focus?

00:49:22.000 Hollywood?

00:49:24.000 This is a big thing with Lenin.

00:49:25.000 Films.

00:49:28.000 The universities, and now right down to the kindergartens.

00:49:33.000 They're being given the wrong information.

00:49:35.000 You send your kid off to school and they come back your enemy.

00:49:38.000 Very, you know, we need people to be able to change that so that children have a chance.

00:49:46.000 But anyway, you guys going into the universities with the temper, the way it is now, and they're going to throw stuff at you and they're going to organize these primitive attacks.

00:49:58.000 And all you've got is the righteous, your truths, and this great gift that you have.

00:50:07.000 And law enforcement.

00:50:08.000 And law enforcement too.

00:50:10.000 And lots and lots of law enforcement, exactly.

00:50:12.000 But anyway, you're making statements because those statements are getting out, not only from that auditorium, but they're being carried around on YouTube and people are cherishing them and learning from them.

00:50:25.000 So, God bless.

00:50:26.000 I appreciate it.

00:50:26.000 That's very sweet of you.

00:50:27.000 So, you've been doing the Chabad Telethon for years and years and years.

00:50:30.000 How did you get involved with Chabad?

00:50:32.000 What's your relationship with Judaism?

00:50:33.000 Chabad is a big deal to me.

00:50:35.000 Well, who is Chabad?

00:50:38.000 Chabad is a Hasidic group, and this Hasidic lineage of Jewish people Goes back to the 17th century or 18th century?

00:50:51.000 18th century.

00:50:52.000 18th century.

00:50:52.000 Really the Baal Shem Tov.

00:50:53.000 Baal Shem Tov, right.

00:50:55.000 And if you know anything about the history of the Jews, the history of the Jews is why am I so taken with it? 0.89

00:51:04.000 First of all, I had a very noble father.

00:51:07.000 He was a golf professional.

00:51:09.000 He had a wonderful sense of humor, and a great love for storytelling.

00:51:15.000 And he was a tremendous father, and loved his children, told us stories every night.

00:51:20.000 They say that stories help you, you know, when you're a child, and I would have to say yes.

00:51:26.000 And I remember my father would lie down on my bed.

00:51:31.000 We had a double-decker bed with three boys, one year apart.

00:51:34.000 And my older brother, Wes, was at the top.

00:51:38.000 He's now called Chip because he wanted to be a rock star.

00:51:41.000 He was named Chip Taylor.

00:51:43.000 But he used to be up there and I was down at the bottom and my other brother had his own bed because he was the eldest, Barry.

00:51:50.000 And my dad would lie down in either one of these beds with one of us every night rotating and he would tell us stories off the top of his head.

00:51:58.000 And they were always so wonderful stories and he had a great voice.

00:52:03.000 We'd just listen to the timbre of his voice and be next to him and see his profile and hear his words in this room that was lighted from the crack in the door where the kitchen light came through.

00:52:15.000 Very romantic, you know.

00:52:19.000 Anyway, he was a golf professional at a German-Jewish country club.

00:52:26.000 Now, what does that mean?

00:52:28.000 I was born in 1938, so this is in the 40s, war years.

00:52:33.000 But these Jewish people didn't have the ability to have a membership in other clubs.

00:52:42.000 There was anti-Semitism at that time.

00:52:46.000 And what did they do?

00:52:47.000 Did they organize riots?

00:52:50.000 No.

00:52:51.000 They bought land and built their own club.

00:52:55.000 And this innovation was a benefit to my family, because my dad put food on the table for us because of this.

00:53:01.000 And he was at this club, he caddied at this club when he was eight years old, and he eventually became a professional.

00:53:10.000 They took care of my father.

00:53:12.000 They encouraged him.

00:53:14.000 They found him to be a good fellow who was taking care of his family when he was 8 years old.

00:53:19.000 He was the breadwinner when he was 8 years old as a caddy.

00:53:23.000 They were very poor.

00:53:24.000 And then they encouraged him and they made him one of the professionals at 16 years old.

00:53:30.000 And at 18 they made him the head professional.

00:53:33.000 And he was there until he passed.

00:53:36.000 And I felt the influence of these people, the Jewish people, in this club all my life.

00:53:42.000 I think his storytelling came from that.

00:53:45.000 I think because his parents, his father was an immigrant from Czechoslovakia who never quite learned English, and so he couldn't have learned from my dad.

00:53:55.000 So I felt so much of my dad's Righteousness and kindness and all of this stuff, and strength.

00:54:06.000 It was tough when he saw things out of line, and he was always right.

00:54:11.000 You know, he would stand up.

00:54:12.000 So he set the template for my life, and that was because of these members of the Jewish club. 0.94

00:54:19.000 And I found out, and then I saw, many things happened to me.

00:54:22.000 I remember when people talk about antisemitism, I knew what antisemitism was because I knew how crazy it was because these people were so terrific.

00:54:30.000 They were great people.

00:54:31.000 And they were my dad's best friends, and they were very good to us as a family, the kids, the three of us.

00:54:39.000 So anyway, I knew the falsity from an early age, and I was angry about it too, I mean, at different times.

00:54:47.000 I saw the Life Magazine picture of a boy in striped pajamas behind barbed wire, and I And I felt at that time when I looked at that picture, I said, this could be me, you know.

00:55:01.000 And so I had an empathy for and an understanding of the insanity of anti-Semitism right from the go. 0.58

00:55:13.000 And for some reason, my friends, right from grammar school on up, were all Jewish people.

00:55:20.000 I don't know, I was drawn to them in some way.

00:55:25.000 And I was raised Catholic, and I have great regard for my Catholic teaching.

00:55:30.000 I went to good schools.

00:55:31.000 I had good teachers who helped me all the way.

00:55:34.000 And I have great love for John Paul II, who I played.

00:55:41.000 By the way, I thought it was fantastic.

00:55:48.000 And then I met Mother Teresa.

00:55:49.000 I asked her for her blessing for stuff I was doing with the Native Americans here.

00:55:56.000 And then I had people, spiritual people in the native community who I have deep friendships with.

00:56:06.000 Hopi Indian man, Thomas Bunyaka, great man.

00:56:10.000 Anyway, but there was always this Jewish presence.

00:56:14.000 Then I come out to California and I fell into a family from the Bronx.

00:56:21.000 Very beautiful family.

00:56:26.000 And we became buddies.

00:56:28.000 And then I was asked to go on this telethon.

00:56:34.000 I go on the telethon because I heard as a favor for somebody who did me a favor, who was a rabbi, and he said, I write for the telethon.

00:56:41.000 Would you come on the telethon?

00:56:43.000 And I said, well, who are these people?

00:56:46.000 He said, it's Chabad.

00:56:48.000 They do a lot of good for people, regardless of race or creed, and they're a lot of fun, and we have a telethon, and this is how they raise the money to go for the year.

00:56:58.000 I said, uh-huh.

00:56:59.000 Well, I'll check them out, and if it turns out to be right, I'll be very glad to do it.

00:57:05.000 So, I go to meet the head of the Chabad in California.

00:57:11.000 And when they say the head of the Chabad, they have emissaries throughout the world.

00:57:16.000 There are now 5,000 Chabad houses across the world.

00:57:20.000 And when I get off a plane anywhere in the world, I go and say, you know, the first thing I ask is, is there a Chabad house near here?

00:57:28.000 Because I feel I have a kind of a Familial connection.

00:57:32.000 But also, they're very helpful to anybody.

00:57:35.000 They help everybody.

00:57:39.000 So I went on a telethon.

00:57:41.000 I met this fellow, and he was very remarkable, this fellow, Shlomo Kunin, Rabbi Kunin.

00:57:47.000 And he's got these wonderful children.

00:57:49.000 He's got 12 children, I think.

00:57:51.000 And I prepared some nice thing.

00:57:56.000 I wrote it down several times, ripped it up, said, well, maybe this, maybe that.

00:58:00.000 A couple of sentences is all.

00:58:02.000 Give to these people.

00:58:03.000 They help other people.

00:58:04.000 People helping people.

00:58:05.000 That's what this is all about.

00:58:07.000 Reach in your pocket and give them what you can to be well served.

00:58:11.000 And then I hear And now the TOTE, there's a telethon, so they're gonna have raising money, and they're gonna have a TOTE.

00:58:17.000 And what is the TOTE?

00:58:19.000 They put on the, you know, on the board how much money they've made so far.

00:58:25.000 The TOTE, you know, $1,265,000, if they get up that far.

00:58:28.000 And I never knew if those were real, because they try to do the best they can.

00:58:33.000 These people are, they live very simply.

00:58:36.000 They don't, there's nothing, there's nothing slick about this group.

00:58:41.000 They just give what they have away.

00:58:44.000 Oh no, they literally just deploy people to random areas of the globe and then you're supposed to come up with the donations a lot of time just to sustain your family.

00:58:51.000 It's a very simple lifestyle for sure.

00:58:53.000 Yeah, absolutely.

00:58:55.000 But anyway, then they say the tote and then I hear the music.

00:59:02.000 And somebody pulls me into a circle of scenic dancers.

00:59:09.000 And my response was laughter.

00:59:12.000 I was laughing.

00:59:13.000 I knew how silly I looked, you know, and I had long blonde hair at that time.

00:59:18.000 And I'm in the middle of these dances, and I like to dance.

00:59:23.000 But I was having a good time.

00:59:25.000 So that's how I got into it.

00:59:27.000 And then I spent a lot of time with him.

00:59:32.000 And the younger group, his children, as they were growing,

00:59:37.000 They would, we would see each other, and they would always say, John, you'd like this, because they knew I was interested in everything, and they would give me information about, I played Noah at one point, and one of the Chabad Rebbe's, Semachunin, one of the boys was going to school there, you know, in Australia, and he came by every once in a while, and he'd give me some help and insights into Noah,

01:00:07.000 And they would always include me in everything, you see.

01:00:12.000 And I got to know the rituals, the different celebrations and stuff.

01:00:16.000 I was always very impressed with the With the shape of these rituals, what the meaning, the depth of meaning in all of these rituals.

01:00:27.000 So anyway, I know quite a lot about the Jewish story from these Chabad people.

01:00:34.000 And I really like Hasidism. 0.99

01:00:36.000 I like the Baal Shem, this magical figure. 0.63

01:00:39.000 And all of these leaders are like that.

01:00:42.000 The Rebbis are like that. 1.00

01:00:43.000 He not only taught rabbis who were teachers, he taught leaders.

01:00:50.000 And each of these Rebbis is a leader.

01:00:52.000 And this Rebbi, this most recent Rebbi that they've had, was an extraordinary, genius fellow who not only was a scientist, He was many, many different areas.

01:01:12.000 He spoke 14 languages, something like that.

01:01:14.000 And when he spoke, he spoke like you.

01:01:17.000 He'd speak for an hour without a pause.

01:01:20.000 All this information.

01:01:21.000 And people would write down everything he said.

01:01:22.000 Oh yeah, Rabbi Schneerson is a seminal figure.

01:01:26.000 Right.

01:01:26.000 And not only all that, but he had this Idea and this vision of sending people all over the world, populating the world with goodness and light.

01:01:40.000 This is what it was.

01:01:41.000 This is the mission of these people.

01:01:43.000 And he sends them, and now we have 5,000, you know, and it's growing!

01:01:49.000 And so, anyway, so I have a special place in my heart for these people, and so much so that when my partner, my business partner, Stephen Paul, from this little family, I said, John, JLTV, I want to do a program for JLTV.

01:02:08.000 What do you think we should do?

01:02:09.000 I said, why don't you do something on the Chabad? 1.00

01:02:11.000 This is Jewish life television, right? 0.98

01:02:13.000 I said, why don't you do something so people can have an insight into what they No, because I've been the beneficiary of so much mystical information, stuff from the Kabbalah.

01:02:26.000 People talk about the Kabbalah, they don't know what they're talking about.

01:02:29.000 The Kabbalah is real rich in understanding, and it all comes down to behavior.

01:02:34.000 So, if you can do a show like that so that they're a lot of fun, they sing all the time.

01:02:41.000 I mean, the Val Shem Tov said to the people who couldn't participate in all this rich legacy of the Talmud and all of this, he said, I'll give you a song.

01:02:57.000 Here, just learn this song.

01:02:59.000 And he'd teach them these songs.

01:03:00.000 And these songs are known today by these young rabbis.

01:03:04.000 And they sing them and you're just right back, you know, all those many years ago.

01:03:09.000 And so they're full of joy.

01:03:12.000 And full of wisdom in their teachings and in their behavior.

01:03:19.000 And so I said, let's do that.

01:03:21.000 And so we have a show now.

01:03:23.000 It's going to open in a couple of days.

01:03:28.000 on JLTV, and it's called Friends of Chabad.

01:03:32.000 And when my partner said to me, I said, you've got to meet these two guys.

01:03:36.000 Meet Rabbi Chaim and Rabbi Levi, these two of Rabbi Kuhn and Sons, Shlomo Kuhn and Sons, and you'll fall in love with these guys.

01:03:45.000 And sure enough, they came and started talking, and they And he would ask these basic questions, because he's not up on his Judaism.

01:03:53.000 He's Jewish, but he's not so up on it.

01:03:55.000 So he'd ask these simple questions, like the questions that a child is supposed to ask for Passover.

01:04:02.000 You know what I mean?

01:04:03.000 Just the simple questions.

01:04:04.000 Why do we do this?

01:04:05.000 Why do you wear black?

01:04:07.000 And then the answers we got.

01:04:10.000 were so extraordinary.

01:04:11.000 So I said, that's the show!

01:04:13.000 I said, that's it!

01:04:14.000 And he said, not only that, but you have to be on the show.

01:04:17.000 You have to be the host of the show to my friend, who has a big personality, wonderful personality, and is just a radiant energy.

01:04:28.000 So I said, you gotta be on the show.

01:04:29.000 If I'm gonna do it, you gotta be on it.

01:04:31.000 So the two of us are on it with these two young rabbis, and I think it's gonna be very special.

01:04:38.000 John, I want to ask you one final question about your favorite movies.

01:04:41.000 Not just the ones you starred in, just your favorite movies generally.

01:04:44.000 But if you want to hear Jon Voight's answers, you have to be a Daily Wire member.

01:04:47.000 Head on over to dailywire.com, click join at the top of the page.

01:04:49.000 You can hear the rest of our conversation there.

01:04:51.000 Well, John, thank you so much for stopping by.

01:04:53.000 I really, really appreciate it.

01:04:54.000 It's been a real pleasure.

01:04:55.000 Oh, for me, Ben.

01:04:57.000 Very nice to see you.

01:04:58.000 You too.

01:04:58.000 You've done very well, my son.

01:05:00.000 Ha ha ha ha!

01:05:02.000 The Ben Shapiro Show Sunday special is produced by Mathis Glover.

01:05:14.000 Executive producer, Jeremy Boring.

01:05:16.000 Our technical director is Austin Stevens.

01:05:18.000 And our assistant director is Pavel Lydowsky.

01:05:21.000 Associate producer, Nick Sheehan.

01:05:22.000 Our guests are booked by Caitlin Maynard.

01:05:24.000 Editing is by Jim Nickel.

01:05:26.000 Audio is mixed by Mike Coromina.

01:05:28.000 Hair and makeup is by Nika Geneva.

01:05:30.000 Title graphics are by Cynthia Angulo.

01:05:32.000 The Ben Shapiro Show Sunday Special is a Daily Wire production.

The Ben Shapiro Show - October 04, 2020

Jon Voight | The Ben Shapiro Show Sunday Special Ep. 101

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