‘A pleasure to work with’

No need for Donald Trump to update his resume in 2029: he’s already got a gig waiting for him in a new Woody Allen movie.

While looking back on their brief collaboration in 1998’s Celebrity, Allen revealed that he not only enjoyed working with the U.S. President, but would love a second opportunity to direct him.

“I’m one of the few people who can say he directed Trump,” Allen told Bill Maher during a visit to his Club Random podcast. “He was a pleasure to work with and a very good actor. He was very polite and hit his mark and did everything correctly and had a real flair for show business.”

To that, Maher referenced Allen’s controversial reputation, quipping, “If you think you were cancelled before…”

But Allen didn’t back down. “I only wish I could direct him now,” he continued, prompting Maher to burst out laughing. “If he would let me direct him now that he’s president, I think I could do wonders. He was very easy to work with.”

Trump cameoed briefly as himself in Allen’s 1998 dramedy Celebrity, an ensemble film revolving around a divorcing couple played by Kenneth Branagh and Judy Davis. Trump’s singular scene sees Davis’ Robin Simon hosting an interview show at a New York City restaurant where she spots the then-real estate mogul in the crowd and asks what he’s working on. Trump then describes his plans to tear down Manhattan’s iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral to build a “a very tall and beautiful” office block in its place.

Allen clarified that despite his interest in working with Trump again, he is registered as a democrat and voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

“I take issue with him on 95 percent of the things, maybe 99 percent. But as an actor, he was very good,” Allen said. “He was very convincing. He had a charismatic quality.”

The director then expressed surprise over Trump’s decision to go into politics, adding, “Politics is nothing but headaches and critical decisions and agony. This was a guy I used to see at the Knicks games, and he liked to play golf, and he liked to judge beauty contests and he liked to do things that were enjoyable and relaxing. Why anyone would want to suddenly have to deal with the issues of politics is beyond me.”

When Maher argued that Trump’s public persona as president is “the ultimate acting job,” Allen said he couldn’t speak to that.

“I can only judge what I know from directing him in film and he was pleasant to work,” he replied. “Very professional, very polite to everyone. I would like to direct him now that he’s president and have him let me make the decisions, but that’s not gonna happen.”

Maher joked, “I’ll make a call.”

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Trump’s second term as president, much like his first, has been fraught with controversy and scandal, regarding both his policies and public remarks. Allen himself earned a polarizing reputation after years as a venerated director: the 89-year-old filmmaker has long been accused of sexual abuse by his daughter, Dylan Farrow, when she was a child. Allen has consistently denied the allegations against him and has never been charged with a crime (though a Connecticut prosecutor said there was probable cause for a criminal case). The continuing controversy gained renewed attention in the wake of the Me Too movement.

Watch Allen’s full conversation with Maher above.