Television icon and country singer John Schneider (“Dukes of Hazzard,” “Smallville”) steps into the shoes of Supreme Court Justice Byron White wrestling with a historic decision in the new film “Roe V. Wade,” releasing April 2 digitally. Directed by Nick Loeb, who also stars with Jon Voight, Steve Guttenberg, Robert Davi, Stacey Dash Corbin Bernsen, Jamie Kennedy, and Joey Lawrence, the pro-life film premiered at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) last month.
In this exclusive interview, Schneider explains why he took the role in the abortion-themed drama, which has faced public scrutiny and protests well before its release, and why it’s important for Hollywood to make films with differing viewpoints.
What drew you to make the movie?
Well, I had met Norma McCorvey when I did a movie called “Doonby” years ago, so I was familiar with the turmoil that was her. And I think like a lot of people we were kind of taught that Jane Rowe was actually a person. So, there’s a lot of deception around that whole time that people are unaware of. When I read the project, I thought it’s as much a story about politics as it is about abortion. It’s as much a story about media manipulation as it is about abortion. It’s as much a story about a couple of narcissistic, greedy men. They figured out how to get away with murder and make millions of dollars doing it. It is a movie about pro-abortion, anti-abortion, pro-choice, it’s all those things. Considering the times we are living in now. Revisionist history used to be they change what happened 100 years ago, or maybe 50 years ago. Now revisionist history is they change what happened Monday, they change it on Friday. I thought it was it would be very important for that conversation to happen so that people could have a legitimate, educated, involved conversation about Roe v. Wade, but also about abortion.
A lot of the facts around abortion—deaths in alleys and all that and how many take place and the likelihood of young girls dying if abortion is not legalized and Planned Parenthood is not funded—that’s all largely made up. So, I think once you find out that what you’ve been told is, at best, partially true then you can make an informed decision. If a million 16-year-olds in 2021 died in back alleys because abortion is illegal, that’s going to affect my thinking process about it. But if that didn’t happen, that’s going to affect my thinking process about it. So, we need this kind of film, I believe, to incite legitimate conversation, legitimate discussion.
I don’t know to what extent you’ve been involved or your voices been involved in politics before.
I’ve done the “Huckabee” show and I’m pretty vocal on my YouTube channel and my Facebook page. But as far as really getting into politics, not very much. But, you know, I did, at one point, testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee Committee about trying to protect the flag. So, I’m a patriot in the truest sense of the word. I believe we have the greatest country in the world and we have a responsibility to keep it that way. It doesn’t stay that way on its own. Certainly in the current climate, it’s getting harder and harder to. I mean people are calling you names if you say we live in the greatest country in the world. “No, we don’t. We’re terrible. It’s a terrible country.” All the while we have human trafficking going on which no one called slavery, which is what it is. There are reasons to have borders. There are reasons to have protection around your borders that aren’t just that “Big bad American doesn’t want doesn’t want foreigners in our country.” No. It’s just dumbed down to such a degree it’s just absurd.
Had it been a pro-abortion film, I wouldn’t have done it. Because as for, as for me in my house? No. But I told somebody this yesterday, I’m not someone who browbeats someone because they share a different opinion. I don’t think that’s fair. I don’t think that’s right. I don’t think I have the right to do that. If it’s wrong, and I certainly believe it is, that’s between you and God, whom I believe in. But if you don’t, that’s okay. If I’m right, and you’re wrong, you’ll meet Him. And you’ll know if you’re right, and I’m wrong. I’ll stop breathing one day. I do believe we have a responsibility to make, to make thought-provoking films. We have a responsibility to make entertainment as well. But we have a responsibility, if we’re given a platform, we have a responsibility to at least do some films like this.
And it’s, it must be touching a nerve because so many people are targeting it. I know it had trouble getting made.
Well, yeah. When we made it, no one had heard of this ‘cancel culture’ thing. It kind of existed. It was PC. It was called a bunch of different things. But it wasn’t rampant like it is now. Now, things will get canceled before they even show up. However, if you’re smart, you can have a platform, like we have our CineflixDOD, where we’d be happy to show it. You don’t have to go the normal route.
“Roe V. Wade” will release April 2 through digital outlets.
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