President Donald Trump might be a polarizing leader with a day job, but Woody Allen would love to direct “the very good actor” in a movie again.
When just a famous New York City real-estate developer, Trump appeared in Allen’s 1998 film “Celebrity,” starring Charlize Theron and Leonardo DiCaprio.
“He was a pleasure to work with, and a very good actor, and very polite,” Allen said, speaking on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, in a new episode out Sept. 1. “He did everything correctly and had a real flair for show business. If he would let me direct him now that he’s president, I think I could do wonders.”
The comment prompted Maher to laughingly tell the controversy-plagued director, “If you think you were canceled before …”
Allen, 89, stressed he was not praising Trump politically.
“I’m a Democrat. I voted for Kamala Harris. I take issue with (Trump) on 95% of the things, maybe 99%,” he said. “But as an actor, he was very good. He was convincing and had a charismatic quality.”
“I’m not a Trumper,” Allen said. “I’m one of the few people who can say he directed Trump.”
In “Celebrity,” Trump is interviewed by a fawning TV reporter (Judy Davis) and deadpans about buying the famed St. Patrick’s Cathedral for his next project. “Maybe doing a little rip-down job and putting up a very beautiful building,” Trump says in the movie.
Allen acknowledged he was surprised Trump pursued the presidency.
“He had everything: He liked Knicks games, liked to play golf, liked to judge beauty contests,” Allen said. “Why give it up for politics, which is nothing but headaches and critical decisions and agony?”
As he nears 90, Allen plans ‘on dying in the next few years’
The famously death-obsessed Allen turns 90 this year. On the podcast, Allen calmly surmised his time on Earth is numbered, and shot down Maher’s suggestion that artificial intelligence might prolong his life.
“I plan on dying in the next few years,” the filmmaker told him.
Allen said he’s “lucky” that his parents had “longevity,” and conceded Maher’s point that he looks and acts remarkably healthy.
“But that can change overnight,” Allen said. “Suddenly, you hit that number.”