hilbilly elgy director Ron Howard concerned by Trump and Vance campaign rhetoric Ron Howard is weighing in on Senator JD Vance's vice presidential campaign for years after turning his Memoir into a feature film the Oscar winning hilb elegy director 70 told variety at the Toronto International Film Festival that he has been surprised and concerned by a lot of the rhetoric coming out of former president Donald Trump and Vance's 2024 campaign there was no version of me voting for Donald Trump to be president again whoever the vice president was he said but given the experience that I had then five or six years ago yeah I'd say that I've been surprised Howard also sent a message about the importance of voting in the 2024 presidential election we've got to get out and vote for whomever he said but be thoughtful listen to what the candidates are saying today that's what's really relevant who they are today and make a decision an informed one need a break play the USA Today daily crossword puzzle Howard directed the 2020 Netflix film hilbilly elegy which was based on Vance's 2016 Memoir and focused on his upbringing in Ohio Amy Adams played Vance's mother while Glenn Close played his grandmother the film received largely negative reviews from critics though close earned in Oscar nomination for her performance Vance served as an executive producer on the movie what is Hilby elegy about all about VP nominee JD Vance's book in a joint interview with Vance on CBS Mornings in 2020 Howard said that critics of hilb Elegy were looking at political thematics that they may or may not agree with that honestly aren't really reflected or are not front and center in this story he added what I saw was a family drama that could be very relatable since the film's release Vance ran for Senate as a Republican and was elected in 2022 in July he was tapped to serve as Trump's running made in the 2024 election Howard has been a vocal critic of trump describing him in a 2020 social media post as a self-serving dishonest morally bankrupt ego Maniac who doesn't care about anything or anyone but his Fame and bank account and is hustling the us single childless women pushed back against Vance claims they don't care about America Howard previously told Variety in 2022 that he was surprised by Vance's Senate campaign and embrace of trump when I was getting to know JD we didn't talk politics because I wasn't interested in that about his life he said I was interested in his childhood and navigating the particulars of his family and his culture so that's what we focused on in our conversation to me he struck me as a very moderate center right kind of guy Howard added that it was clear during their conversations that Vance wasn't a fan of trump the Ohio Senator previously told a friend in 2016 that Trump might be America's Hitler he didn't like him at all as he tweeted Howard told variety I haven't talked to him in a couple of years I hope now that he's got the job of Senator that'll apply what I think his good common sense to the question that will come before him in an interview with Fox News in July Vance acknowledged he was certainly skeptical of Donald Trump in 2016 but added that he changed his mind because Trump was a great president