Woody Allen praised Trump as an actor: 'I only wish I could direct him now'

Woody Allen praised Donald Trump as an actor. The 89-year-old historic director spoke about his experience with the president in an interview with Bill Maher. Despite acknowledging himself as a Democrat who voted for Kamala Harris, Allen assured that he would love to work with Trump again, adding that "he could do wonders."

Allen directed Trump in "Celebrity," a 1998 film that tells the story of Lee Simon, a journalist in crisis who suddenly finds himself immersed in the world of show business. There, the then-businessman appears playing himself alongside Melania Trump. During the brief cameo, he declares his intention to demolish St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan to build a "very, very tall and beautiful building."

In this context, the veteran director appeared on the "Club Random" podcast, launched by Maher in 2022. "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. I only wish I could direct him now," he expressed.

"I only wish I could direct him now. If he would let me direct him now that he's president, I think I could do wonders. But he was very easy to work with," Allen added.

Maher, who dined with the president a few months ago, reinforced the idea that he is different off-camera.

In addition, the veteran director expressed surprise at Trump's leap into politics. "But as an actor, he was very good. He was very convincing and he had a charismatic quality as an actor. And I’m surprised he wanted to go into politics. Politics is nothing but headaches and critical decisions and agony. And this was a guy I used to see at the Knick 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. And why anyone would want to suddenly have to deal with the issues of politics is beyond me. But apparently he doesn’t mind," he continued.

Trump reacted to Allen's statements on his Truth Social account, where he simply mentioned the director's comments.