Congressman Adam Schiff on Trump’s GOP Grip, Looming WGA Strike and His All-Time Favorite Show

With hundreds of members of Congress all jockeying for media attention (whether they admit that or not) it is increasingly challenging for individuals to break through and establish a national profile. Yet Adam Schiff has managed to do just that.

His role as lead prosecutor in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial turned Schiff into a hero among Trump critics and an archenemy of Trump loyalists and Trump himself. The former president began attacking Schiff by name at rallies, the ultimate badge of honor for a certain set of the ex-president’s antagonists. However, the impeachment simply marked a logical next step in a career that has been focused on the dual pursuits of justice and equity, or more specifically, pursuing one to achieve the other.

After attending Stanford University and Harvard Law School, Schiff served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he first practiced his impeachment prosecutorial skills in trials involving members of the judiciary. He then served in the California State Senate before flipping a Burbank congressional seat that had been held by a Republican in one of 2000’s most expensive races.

As he launches a campaign for the U.S. Senate seat now occupied by the retiring Dianne Feinstein, Schiff speaks with THR about how To Kill a Mockingbird and The Big Lebowski inspire him as well as the possibility of a strike in Hollywood.

What series are you watching these days?

I’ve been watching the prequel to Game of Thrones, and I’m not enjoying it as much as the original. I’m a little disappointed. The original was so good.

So then I have to ask the obvious follow-up: How much is Game of Thrones like working in politics today?

The real world is much more devious. I actually used to get that question about House of Cards, but I got so much of politics during my day job that I didn’t really watch The West Wing or House of Cards because it felt like I was going to work. But every time I saw a snippet of those shows, I was impressed with how well they were done.

The real world, happily, is not as violent as Game of Thrones, not as conniving as Game of Thrones, but there are certainly some sinister characters in the real world as well.

So what is your all-time favorite show?

Seinfeld, which has really withstood the test of time. When I watch an episode now, it is still really as good as it was the first time I saw it. That was one of those iconic shows that was just phenomenally well-written, a great ensemble cast and totally enjoyable. I probably haven’t enjoyed a TV show before that as much as All in the Family. Those kinds of shows only come around every so often.

So you were an All in the Family fan?

Yes. I used to watch that with my family when I was a kid. You had All in the Family, The Carol Burnett Show, The Bob Newhart Show — all of those were sort of staples that we would watch together as a family. … I also enjoyed Friends a lot when that was on. More recently, some of the miniseries have been incredible. For instance, I thought Godless was one of the best things I saw during the pandemic.

Any favorite movies about politics?

I used to love, and still do, All the King’s Men. It’s a fantastic film. I think The American President is a great movie. Probably my all-time favorite, which isn’t a film about politics, per se, but it was what made me want to be a lawyer, was To Kill a Mockingbird.

I’m also a very big Big Lebowski fan. I know it’s not technically a film about politics, but my staff knows what a fan I am of the movie, so they’ll frequently send me lines from the movie at appropriate times.

When I was sitting on the House floor watching the endless debate around the speakership and [Kevin] McCarthy’s successive rounds failing to secure the speakership, you may remember, there was a point when Matt Gaetz was tearing into Kevin McCarthy and the line my staff sent me at that moment from the movie was, “You’re not wrong. You’re just an asshole.” That was a pretty good application of that line.

Another time, when I was going to the Rules Committee to present an amendment that I knew they would rule out of order even though it was very much in order, my staff made a sign for me to carry into the rules committee that read, “Am I the only one that gives a shit about the rules?”

Your congressional district represents a lot of people in the entertainment industry, and California has been losing a lot of productions to places like Atlanta and Canada. What do you think could or should be done to keep more productions in California?

I’ve been a very strong supporter since I was in the California Legislature of film tax credits to keep productions in the United States, and California film tax credits to keep productions in the state. Those tax credits, I think, have been very successful. We just have to make sure that they endure. Because when they’re allowed to lapse, then production moves out of the state. I also introduced legislation as a state legislator to allow filming at state government buildings without cost, to incentivize filming in California. And this is not a California-specific problem, but during the pandemic we discovered how little safety net so many people in the industry have when people with mixed incomes were being shut out of unemployment compensation, and I introduced a bill that became part of the larger package that made sure people with mixed incomes qualified for unemployment, and we really need to address that deficiency in the safety net long-term — not just during a pandemic. So that’s not in the category of runaway production, but making sure we make it possible for creators to pursue their dreams in the industry.

Are you concerned about the possibility of a strike as the WGA, DGA and SAG-AFTRA soon begin studio negotiations?

I am concerned about it. A strike would have a big impact on the people I represent and the local economy. I’m a big supporter of collective bargaining because I think it’s the only way that individuals working in the industry can meet the strong bargaining position of the studios. I hope they can get to yes and the studios will be generous to those who work in the industry. Because folks who work in the industry make that magic possible. They created such wonderful entertainment during the pandemic that helped us get away from our fears and problems of the day and I hope they can achieve contracts that provide fair compensation and working conditions and good benefits and address some of the new changes in the industry so people can continue to make a good living and provide for their families while doing what they love.

One of the things you kept returning to during your widely watched closing statement during the impeachment is the question of whether Donald Trump really needed to be removed from office. So let me ask you: How would things have been different in our country had Donald Trump been removed from office due to the impeachment?

Had [senators] removed him, as their oath required, there would not have been a bloody insurrection in the Capitol. We would have moved beyond Trumpism. Now he is once again running for president and has spawned many imitators, like Ron DeSantis. They seem to be competing over who can villainize members of the LGBTQ community. That senators failed to do the right thing is why this country is having to continue going through this horribly divisive period. I look forward to the day when the Republican Party returns to being a party of conservative ideology instead of this cult of personality of the former president.

Do you think he’ll be the nominee?

I don’t know. He certainly lost a lot of support among Republican elites. I think the January 6 committee hearings helped expose to a broad section of Republican voters what a danger he presents to the country. But he still has a strong grip on the base of his party, and he proved in 2016 his ability to eviscerate his Republican Party opposition.

In a film about the Trump impeachment, what actor would play you?

Isn’t it obvious? Ryan Gosling. Obviously, I’m joking. But I actually did an event around my book [Midnight in Washington] in New York with Robert De Niro, and he asked me that same question, and after I joked about Ryan Gosling, I asked him what role he would play and he said, “I could play Adam Schiff.” He then paused and thought about it and said, “I could definitely play Adam Schiff.” Needless to say, I’d be flattered to be portrayed by Robert De Niro.

What do you think Hollywood gets wrong in its depiction of politics and politicians?

That’s a great question. What they probably don’t understand is how many friendships there are between people across the aisle from each other who seemingly have nothing in common.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

Keli Goff is the Emmy-nominated producer of the documentary Reversing Roe. In addition to a long career covering politics, she has served as a writer on Mayor of Kingstown, And Just Like That and Black Lightning.

A version of this story first appeared in the March 29 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.