Famous Hollywood actor Gary Sinise recently opened up about his experience being a conservative in an industry known for its left-of-center political conviction. Sinise acknowledged that it wasn’t easy being a conservative when almost all of his Hollywood peers are woke, but nonetheless, he managed to have a great career in acting.
The Hollywood Reporter covered a recent interview Sinise gave to CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” During the interview, the actor opened up about his political leanings and their impact on his career. He also addressed the issue of gun control.
The Hollywood Reporter stated:
Sinise has been publicly open about his political views, even starting Friends of Abe, a conservative group for Hollywood figures, in 2004. When asked if conservatives in the entertainment industry needed a support group, the Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders actor laughed in response, saying it was formed “during the early days of the Iraq War.”
“I think so much was motivated by…what happened to our Vietnam veterans and the lack of support that they got and the way they were treated, and then we regretted it later on,” Sinise stated. “I didn’t want our Iraq War and Afghanistan veterans to fall prey to any of that kind of stuff. I just wanted to get in there and support them. So, I started looking for people that were just in the same camp as me on that subject. And I found other folks in the movie and television business who enjoyed getting together.”
Sinise also grew up in Highland Park, Illinois, the same town where a deadly mass shooting happened during an Independence Day parade on July 4, 2022. The actor told Wallace that he lived a few blocks from where it took place and even participated in the parade as a child.
The actor has publicly voiced his support for the Second Amendment and when addressing gun control, he said, “We need multiple solutions, clearly. There’s no one solution for this terrible problem that we have.”
“I’m not the guy to know exactly what to do about all that.… The one thing I do know is that you can’t get rid of guns,” he explained. “Guns are here to stay. They have always been a part of the American story. So, what do we do now that we seem to have this easy access to guns when we shouldn’t? Or people that get guns that shouldn’t have them? What do we do? It’s a complicated situation. I don’t think there’s one solution.”
When asked if he thought his career was hindered by his conservatism, Sinise stated that he was grateful for all the opportunities he’s had throughout his time in the industry.
“I’ve had a blessed career in the movie and television and theater business,” Sinise said. “I’ve done amazing things, I’ve worked with amazing people, and it really played a major role, if not the key element, in what I’m doing today on the service side.”
Needless to say, Gary Sinise is brave for standing up for his beliefs in a militantly leftist industry.
"*" indicates required fields