Howard didn't foresee Vance becoming VP; Hillbilly Elegy legacy mixed

Director Ron Howard says he never anticipated JD Vance would rise to the vice presidency, even after he directed the 2020 film adaptation of Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy. In promoting his new film Eden, Howard described the project’s legacy as a “mixed bag” and acknowledged that the reception to the film remains a complicated part of Vance’s biography, noting that negative reviews did not necessarily align with audience response. He also disclosed a single text exchange with Vance after the election, offering a brief wish that the former memoirist-turned-politician would “Godspeed” and “try to serve us well.” Since then, Howard has had no further direct contact with Vance.

Howard made the remarks in a Vulture interview conducted during promotion for Eden. He emphasized that he does not dwell on Hillbilly Elegy’s legacy, but he did acknowledge the film’s divided perception: “I know it’s a mixed bag and probably quite culturally divided. I also know that reviews were bad and the audience-reaction rating was pretty good.” The director offered that the film’s reception reflected a broader tension between critical response to the movie and the personal significance it held for Vance, who...