Crew Members Leave Pawn Shop Film Over Content Concerns

Several crew members departed the production of Pawn Shop in Livingston, Montana, after they said they learned the project’s political themes only after joining the film, according to a report by IndieWire. The film, produced by The Daily Wire, stars Danny Trejo and Harvey Keitel.

One anonymous crew member told IndieWire they were not given substantive details about the project’s content before accepting the job. The worker said they estimated about a dozen crew departures during filming.

"I was asked my availability, was told it was a ‘fun action movie’ in downtown Livingston. Great crew, great whatever. That was the whole pitch," the anonymous crew member told IndieWire.

The crew member described the initial information provided before joining the production and said the project’s political direction was not disclosed at that stage.

"So, I just said, ‘Yep, I’m available.’" the anonymous crew member told IndieWire.

The worker said they were not informed about the film’s conservative political messaging, including its focus on immigration enforcement, before signing on to the project.

"If I had known this, then I would not have even accepted the job," the anonymous crew member told IndieWire.

The crew member said the lack of information affected their ability to decide whether to participate in the production.

"Politics alone and opinions aside, maybe I don’t have the skillset that they need to make this project come to life either," the anonymous crew member told IndieWire.

The worker also said previous productions involving difficult material provided more information before crew members committed their time.

"I would like to have the ability to say no to something if it’s not something I feel comfortable doing." the anonymous crew member told IndieWire.

Brooklyn Wilde, a local activist, told IndieWire that other crew members also left after learning more about Pawn Shop. Wilde said the departures followed concerns about the film’s portrayal of immigration enforcement.

"explicitly lied to" Brooklyn Wilde, a local activist, told IndieWire.

Wilde criticized the film’s reported depiction of an incident involving an ICE officer and a protester. The activist connected the scene to the January 7 death of Renée Good in Minneapolis, according to IndieWire.

"They’re rewriting the truth," Brooklyn Wilde, a local activist, told IndieWire.

IndieWire reported that the film’s casting synopsis describes a federal agent seeking shelter in a pawn shop with a traditional Hispanic father and his progressive college-age son during turmoil in Minneapolis.

"The detentions are happening in a flash – we’re talking, like, 90 seconds from the time ICE shows up to that person being driven away," Gracie Willis, a rapid response attorney with the National Immigration Project, told the Guardian.

Willis discussed changes in immigration enforcement tactics after Operation Metro Surge, which some media outlets described as making ICE a more less visible force.

"invisiblized" the Guardian described the characterization used by some media outlets.

Marc Beaudin, co-owner of Elk River Books in Livingston, told Cowboy State Daily that the production created more disruption than previous filming projects in the town.

"This one is so dramatically different than any other movie filmed here," Marc Beaudin, co-owner of Elk River Books, told Cowboy State Daily.

Beaudin also raised concerns about how the production operated under its agreement with the town.

"The way they’ve been seemingly violating all the steps of their agreement, the dangerous way they’ve been doing things." Marc Beaudin, co-owner of Elk River Books, told Cowboy State Daily.

Production was temporarily halted by Livingston officials on October 3 after public complaints, then resumed after permits were reissued. Ben Shapiro said the pause was politically motivated.

"Let us be clear: there’s only one reason the city commissioners ruled they were going to stop our production on the street: politics, pure and simple, and they pretty much admitted it," Ben Shapiro told Variety.

The anonymous crew member said workers on earlier projects involving challenging subjects received more details before deciding whether to participate.

"emotionally difficult material," the anonymous crew member told IndieWire.