The Man Who Wrote ‘Exodus’ While Blacklisted

By Anne Cohen August 14, 2015

Those of you still pining for Walter White have some new Bryan Cranston action to look forward to.

Behold the first trailer for Trumbo, a biopic about celebrated Hollywood screenplay writer Dalton Trumbo, who defied the blacklist during the 1950s Red Scare. Cranston, of course, plays Trumbo, who while not exactly Jewish, . Trumbo, who joined the Communist Party in 1943, was one of the “Hollywood Ten” blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).

After refusing to testify, he was essentially barred from working in Hollywood. But that didn’t stop him. He continued writing screenplays for some of the most iconic movies of the era, including “Spartacus” and “Roman Holiday,” the latter of which he received credit for in 1993 (he won a posthumous Oscar).

So, what can you expect from the movie? If the trailer is any indication, look forward to some classic Cranston bad-assery. Oh, and Louis C.K. in a retro hat.

Anne Cohen was the Forward’s deputy digital media editor. When she’s not looking for the secret Jewish history of Voodoo in New Orleans, or making lists about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, she writes for The Assimilator. She graduated from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism with an M.S. magazine concentration in 2012.

A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren

We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.

With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.

Become a member today and you'll directly support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

— Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief