In addition, Hollywood was politically progressive long before California became a Democratic stronghold, before going to college became widespread and when the Screen Actors Guild was still in its infancy. The looming threat of anti-Semitic fascism further politicized screen actors in an industry that had become an ethnic niche for Jews. Actors’ liberal politics would wax and wane over the remainder of the 20th century, growing muted under McCarthyism and amplified later when there was social unrest — the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War era (think Jane Fonda). There is, however, a third explanation worth pondering: that the emotional requirements of acting are conducive to progressive politics. “The overwhelmingly liberal orientation of actors,” Professor Ross has written, “can be partially understood as a byproduct of the demands of their craft.

Source: New York Times January 27, 2018 18:56 UTC