What Glenn Close Had To Say About Her Time With JD Vance On The Set Of Hillbilly Elegy
Before JD Vance became Donald Trump's right-hand man, he penned a bestselling memoir about his childhood titled "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis." Published in 2016, the book was a massive success and was soon adapted for the screen by director Ron Howard. Glenn Close starred in the 2020 adaptation of "Hillbilly Elegy," playing Vance's grandmother, Bonnie "Mamaw" Vance. When featured on "The View" in January 2025 — after making The List's worst-dressed stars list at the Golden Globes — the actress offered some insight into what filming was like when the former Ohio senator and his family arrived on set.
Close, who has an incredibly high net worth, shared that Vance visited the set and helped actor Owen Asztalos, who portrayed a young version of himself, with his performance. The cast met with many of Vance's loved ones during the production to learn all the intricacies of each person. "The family was very generous with their time," Close told the panel. When "The View" co-host Joy Behar asked Close what caused Vance's personality to shift from the time of the movie to now, the actress smirked and simply replied, "I don't know what happened." Close theorized that Vance's rise to power could have been a factor in his alleged change of character.
Many were surprised by JD Vance's political shift
After Glenn Close revealed that she toned down Meemaw's personality in her "Hillbilly Elegy" performance, "The View" co-host Sunny Hostin quipped, "Well, now [JD Vance is] talking about childless cat ladies, so there's that." For those unaware, Hostin was referring to a controversial comment made by Vance on the Fox News program "Tucker Carlson Tonight" in 2021, which later resurfaced in 2024, criticizing political leaders who choose not to have children. Vance's sister, Lindsay Lewis, defended her brother after backlash began to pour in, stating, "JD was raised by some of the strongest women I know and went on to marry an incredibly strong woman in Usha" (via Newsweek). Lewis also noted that her brother is a "testament to the women in his life."
Like Glenn Close, "Hillbilly Elegy" director Ron Howard was also caught off-guard when he learned about Vance's political career move with Donald Trump. "When I was getting to know [JD Vance], we didn't talk politics because I wasn't interested in that about his life," the director told Variety in 2022. "I was interested in his childhood and navigating the particulars of his family and his culture so that's what we focused on in our conversation." To Howard, Vance appeared to be a political moderate, describing him as a "center-right kind of guy." Considering that Vance wasn't always a fan of Trump, it's surprising how quickly things can change in a short amount of time.