Last month, actor Zachary Levi stepped out at a Donald Trump rally and officially endorsed Orangina. Apparently, Levi did not start out as a MAGA faithful – he’s a hardcore fundamentalist Christian, and his biggest political issue in recent years was “being anti-vaccine/anti-science.” Which meant that he was originally all-in for Robert Kennedy Jr. Then Kennedy endorsed Trump. Levi thought, hey, why not. So he appeared at a rally with Trump and Tulsi Gabbard. Levi obviously played his endorsement like he was being martyred in Hollywood for the MAGA cause. Meanwhile, Hollywood is like “who???”
When Zachary Levi stood onstage at a Sept. 28 rally in Michigan and endorsed Donald Trump, he declared it an act of “career suicide” that would end his chances of working again in “very, very liberal” Hollywood. The crowd ate it up, applauding the 44-year-old Shazam! star for his sacrifice to the MAGA cause. But in L.A., there was more than a little head-scratching. Not because Levi was endorsing a convicted felon and adjudicated sex offender — the anti-vaxxer actor has done weirder things than that, like supporting Robert Kennedy Jr. for president — but because lots of folks here had assumed Levi’s mainstream career already was all but dead.
His latest big-screen venture, Harold and the Purple Crayon, was one of the year’s biggest box office duds, and his 2023 superhero movie, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, had one of the worst openings of any DC theatrical release.
“When he was cast as Shazam, it was literally his dream,” recalls an insider who has known Levi for years. “He thought this was his ticket to being The Rock or Chris Evans. But it didn’t happen for him, and he’s bitter about that.”
In fact, Levi doesn’t even live in L.A. anymore; he’s now ensconced in a cattle ranch in ruby-red Texas, from where he’s recently been focusing on faith-based projects, like 2021’s Christian-themed American Underdog and — arriving in February — The Unbreakable Boy, in which he’ll play the father of a child with brittle bone disease. Indeed, Levi has leaned so far into faith-based productions, it’s beginning to look as if his endorsement of Trump — and his courting of a conservative fan base — was more a savvy career move than professional suicide.
It actually is a thing now – actors who are considered has-beens in Hollywood find a second life/career in these sickly-sweet fundamental-Christian movies. One of my local movie theaters usually devotes one screen out of ten to the latest “our Christian faith saved us from divorce/sickness/death/voting for a Democrat” movie. Zachary Levi is “pulling a Kirk Cameron,” basically.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – DECEMBER 15: American actor Zachary Levi arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Lionsgate’s ‘American Underdog’ held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on December 15, 2021 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 648227617, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Zachary Levi, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – DECEMBER 15: American actor Zachary Levi arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Lionsgate’s ‘American Underdog’ held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on December 15, 2021 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 648227624, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Zachary Levi, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- Zachary Levi at ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods‘ – UK Special Screening at Cineworld Leicester Square in London, UK. 07 March 2023.,Image: 761580139, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Zachary Levi, Credit line: © Avalon.red / Avalon
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- BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: Zachary Levi attends the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.,Image: 763179839, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Zachary Levi, Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
“He thought this was his ticket to being The Rock or Chris Evans. But it didn’t happen for him, and he’s bitter about that.”
Chris Evans?!?!
He thought he could duplicate Winter Soldier with Shazam 2 Electric Boogaloo?!?!
Captain America: Winter Soldier is an almost perfect film and in my opinion the top 3 of all the Marvel films and top 10 in comic book films of all time. Zach thought his cute Shazam movie was going to “make his career” tells me what a greedy, arrogant prick he really is. He’s tv, film and broadway success but he pouted because he want to be the handsome movie, blockbuster star. What a baby.
And Zach is no Chris Evans, he doesn’t have 10th of that man’s charisma. Have fun with selling fake holy shit like Russell Brand.
Winter Soldier is a great spy movie. Samuel L Jackson and Robert Redford elevated it to another level by taking the material seriously
I will say that he was really really good and charming on The marvelous. Mrs. maisel. but he was written off rather abruptly on that show, and I’ve suspected for a long time that it’s because he was such a dick on set. they didn’t want to deal with him.
It was a great character and I agree with your theory. (He was reportedly pretty awful on the set of Chuck.)
I forgot he was in that. Yeah I can’t imagine he’s a pleasant person to be around. People with his sort of beliefs and ideals usually aren’t.
Agreed! Winter soldier is an amazing movie. And he doesn’t have Evans’s talent or charisma. Plus CE took the money and did mostly smaller or ensemble movies. Some good, some bad, some great. Some popular, some less so. (Snowpiercer, Gifted, Knives Out especially stand out.) But he used it to try a lot of roles and genres. Levi seems like he wanted to go the blockbuster route more like Johnson. But the latter had a ton of fans from wrestling and also a lot of charisma. Levi could’ve stayed on tv and carved a nice career especially in streaming. There’s nothing wrong with being a character actor. If you have the ability you can still work regardless of your beliefs. Look at Jon Voight.
Chris Evans was in the Gray Man with Ryan Gosling, he played a real A**hole and one could tell that he was having the time of his life playing that character!! After playing super nice-guy Captain America, I bet playing a nasty, violent a**hole was so freeing and fun. 🙂
100% on Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The action was great, the personal relationships were believable, and I was so grateful that the bad guys were actually people and not CGI alien blobs.
Sigh. Tangled is my favourite Disney. Poor Flynn Rider voiced by a nutter.
I’m just beyond relieved he has aged out of the role for the inevitable live-action remake movie. Head to Broadway with your search Disney, you will find several dark-haired young men who are decent humans. No worries at all.
Jonathan Bailey comes to mind. He’ll be showing off singing chops in Wicked.
Hmmm, all love to Jonathan, but at 36 years old I would not love him matched with a Rapunzel who is supposed to be 17/18. 😬 🤢 But you’re shopping in the right aisle! 😁
Ah good the live action film could change this but I also hope they bump up her age and lower his
Oh he has done his media tour if / when they do a live action Tangled. He wants a role as the Father.
Don’t do it Disney, DO.NOT.
I adore Tangled, and yes, this makes me sad. But also, I’m kind of laughing because that’s literally the only movie I know him from. Even reading this article……yeah, Tangled is the only movie I’ve heard of that he’s been in, lol.
Same, Normades. Same.
This is the only way a lot of them can get work, especially them that didn’t have a lot of the acting chops to begin with. I didn’t watch his TV show so I don’t know if he improved or declined, but I know I took my niece to see Shazam and I longed for the child actors to come back on screen in every scene he was in, he’s just that bad of an actor. This will help him with his bonafides with that crowd and maybe the more Christian Hallmark channel ( can’t remember the real name), so he’ll get steady work but his dreams of being Chris Evans are done.
OMG yes, look for him opposite Candace Cameron Bure in a flurry of holiday/mysteries with only white, straight people on whatever that channel it is she is on after leaving Hallmark.
Romantic leads who will share a passionate side hug in the final scene because their religion forbids them from kissing someone who isn’t their spouse, even when acting
Hahhaaa, this is exactly where he will end up. I’m forever going to be pissed he’s ruined Chuck. I think it was the start of his indoctrination, thanks to Adam Baldwin. He is completely unrecognizable from the man who did press for that show.
I wish Missy Peregrym would spill whatever happened that made her flee like she was on fire after only 6 months of marriage.
Married June separated December same year. Looked it up to see if it really was that short a marriage. She’s remarried with 2 small children so doubt she’ll talk about it now. Curious though.
Agree, this was a concerted effort to get the jobs handed out to faux Christians who can spout the cnservative principles of hatred, bigotry and control of others.
Apparently, he is the author of a book called “Radical Love”.
He’s got the lying and ‘poor me I’m a victim’ part down pat so he’ll fit right in.
Dude is a loser…shame
first Shazam was such a fun fantastic movie.. as good/better than any Marvel movie…
even the second one was fun, certainly better than that Captain Marvel movie watched around the same time..
I agree, both movies were fun and had their charms. But I was genuinely stunned at how BAD he was in the second one!!! The young man who plays Billy had grown up and was giving a performance that demonstrated that. He was evolving. Then he transforms into this guy and he was suddenly a six year old with severe ADHD. It didn’t fit at all and Levi’s performance was shockingly lazy.
Too bad for him, Chris Pratt took the spot in Hollywood he was aiming for.
I’m sorry – when was he famous? I must have missed his successful actor time.
I only know of him as an anti vaxxer moron.
He was the lead on a NBC show like 15-20 years ago. Honestly I’m kind of shocked he’s been hanging around as long as he has.
I’m fed up with bad actors claiming they can’t get work because of their conservative political views. Clint Eastwood, Jon Voigt, Kelsey Grammar, and Patricia Heaton are all outspoken conservatives and all work constantly in films and television.
Levi has always been extreme right wing. His lifelong best friend and former business partner is Jeremy Boreing of the Daily Wire. They produced really bad films together. Boreing is now bankrolled by a fracking billionaire and Levi can go work in his really bad productions with Gina Carano and Rob Schneider.
Jon Voight has been working constantly?
Surprisingly he actually has. Just not in lead roles or Oscar bait, he’s way past his prime for those really.
Since 2020 alone he’s been in 9 films/documentaries. He had a lead role in Ray Donovan and a couple of TV movies. For being 85 that’s really not bad. He’s working, he’s getting paid.
Before reading this post I had no idea Zachary Levi lived. I watch a lot of political shows on youtube and they never mention him at all so he really must be a has been actor or whatever. He kind of looks like a distant relative of Ben Affleck and that is the only compliment I am going to give this religious Republican nut. How is it possible that a human being with a working brain can possibly think Donald Trump is a good guy.
Most evangelicals don’t think he’s a good guy. They think he’s a horrible guy who their refashioned old-testament “god” is using to make all their forced birth/white supremacy dreams come true. American Christians have been trained by pastors from the pulpit to view themselves as some sort of victim now that most of us have caught on to their scam and the churches aren’t getting all that tithe money anymore. Trump is the useful tool of American church leaders, like the heinous Franklin Graham, who want nothing more than every single one of us forced back into the pew, checkbook in hand, praising their false god of prosperity.
Yeah, Evangelicals don’t view Trump as a moral, virtuous person but they definitely view him as Their Guy and they’re more than willing to look the other way as long as he’s achieving their agenda.
I used to love him as Chuck. He was charming and clueless. And it’s a bummer (sad! As his buddy Trump would say) that he’s a bitter and selfish man in real life. Did he think the world owed him stardom? He already made money and had a level of fame. Did he think he was so special he didn’t have to work hard?
I also loved him in Chuck! And I really liked the first Shazam, the second was ugggggh though. You nailed it though- grievance built on entitlement and a belief that continued success was somehow “owed” to him. He was good in Chuck and if he managed his money smartly, should be more than fine from the years that he was a lead actor in a tv show, not to mention his Shazam money. He wasn’t Hollywood’s next “big thing”. OH WELL. Few are and there are many, many actors much more talented than him who never got a shot at even the level of fame and compensation he’s had. Such a victim!! /s
Yikes, this seems bitchy and unnecessary from THR. If Levi’s career is dead (and it seems like it is), there’s no reason to write about him at all.
“Bitchy and unnecessary” is THR’s brand these days. Between the nasty article about the Duchess of Sussex being a bully and an unholy terror to her employees and this article about a coulda-been-but-now-never-will-be, it seems as if THR is determined to take the world down. Good grief, who pee’d in their reporters’ Cheerios?
It’s a shame, I was a big fan of Chuck and I enjoyed him in Tangled, I thought he had a nice voice.
I loved him in Alias Grace, but I can’t bear to look at him now. Ugh.
So, he is the new Kevin Sorbo? Kirk Cameron?
No thanks.
Who?!? I never heard of him before his mentions on Celebitchy.
Too bad. I liked him in Mrs. Maisel, but… sheesh. 😬
BTW: strongly suspect he’s closeted.
This dude thought he would be on the same level as Thee Chris Evans??? GTFOH lmaooo 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I loved him in Chuck and I thought he could still have a career if he worked for it. But if he thinks doing Hallmark movies and nostalgia podcasts are beneath him, he lacks hustle and he’s essentially preying on a certain demographic to give him relevance.
Have to admit I’ve never heard of the guy.