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# Robert Duvall talks about Canadians, politics and his film, ‘Secondhand Lions’
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/robert-duvall-talks-about-canadians-politics-and-his-film-secondhand-lions/
- Published: 2003-09-19T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T02:58:00.000Z
- Author: Dan Dunn
- Tags: Entertainment, Santa Monica, #archive-import

Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall has starred in some of the most popular films of all-time, including the first two installments of “The Godfather” trilogy and “Apocalypse Now.” He’s been nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences an impressive six times and took home the Best Actor hardware for 1983’s “Tender Mercies.” Duvall’s most recent credits include “Gods & Generals,” “John Q” and “Open Range.” His latest film, “Secondhand Lions,” opens Friday.

Question: You were quoted as saying you’re sick of making movies in Canada, which raised the ire of our neighbors to the north. What brought on the anti-Canuck stance?

Robert Duvall: I got in trouble, right, for saying I don’t like working in Canada. They jumped on me, these Canadians. But I would rather work here. They wanted to do “Secondhand Lions” in Canada, and I said if they did it there, I wasn’t doing it. I just finished doing the other one (“Open Range”) in Canada, which was great — in Alberta. But “Secondhand Lions” is a Texas movie, and you make a movie about Texas in Texas. At least, that’s what I think anyway.

Q: Your character in “Secondhand Lions,” Hub, isn’t one to walk away from a fight. Same goes with the cattleman you played in “Open Range.” Have you had much personal experience as far as mixing it up?

RD: No, I kind of stay away from brawls and stuff like that. It’s play-acting. Fiction.

Q: You’re an avowed conservative. That makes you kind of an anomaly in Hollywood, doesn’t it?

RD: It’s a funny thing. So often when these guys (in Hollywood) spout off, a lot of whom are liberals, I get very embarrassed. It’s all emotion, it seems like. I’d rather put more faith in Secretary of State Colin Powell than Secretary of State Sean Penn, if you know what I mean? (laughs) Q: What about Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger?

RD: I don’t know. Why not? The guy’s game. He’s got his wife whispering in his ear, whether that’s good or bad, I don’t know. As a team, maybe they’ll do OK. Who knows? I don’t live (in LA) but I guess things are in a pretty bad state. The only celebrity I think is refreshing and who I listen to is Dennis Miller. That guy’s hilarious, and I happen to agree with a lot of what he says. I love that guy.

Q: Would you be interested in running for office someday?

RD: No, no, no. I don’t even know what the rules of order are. I wouldn’t want to be in politics, no. Actors should do what they do, and politicians should do what they do.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 19, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/091903.pdf?ref=smdp.com)