Kevin Sorbo: Walt Disney Is Spinning In His Grave

Netflix might want a second word with Kevin Sorbo.

The “Hercules” star and indie filmmaker once met with the streaming giant after his 2017 film “Let There Be Light” enjoyed a robust opening against the usual Hollywood blockbusters.

Sorbo told podcaster Lisa Boothe this week about the exchange, which takes on a new light given Netflix’s recent subscriber woes and stock plunge. It turns out Netflix, according to Sorbo, made the first move.

“Our little $2.3 million movie was up against a $300 million movie, ‘Thor: Ragnarok,’ and we finished with the number two per-screen average. So Netflix calls me up and says, ‘Hey, we need a meeting with you to talk about maybe opening an inspirational division here at Netflix,’” Sorbo recalled on “The Truth with Lisa Boo-the” podcast.

The actor met with the streaming giant four times, but after that the conversation ended.

“I thought the ball was rolling fine, and all of a sudden, boom. No more calls, and I was like, ‘wow,” he recalled. Maybe it was the tough love he delivered in that fourth meeting that ended the dialogue.

“There are 80 million homes out there that want this kind of product, and you guys are totally ignoring it, just because of your hate towards Christians,” Sorbo told Boothe.

Sorbo is unapologetically Christian and conservative. The latter, he says, cost him his traditional Hollywood career roughly 10 years ago. His agent told him his political leanings made their partnership impossible.

That didn’t stop him.

Now, Sorbo directs, produces and stars in positive, faith-friendly films outside the Hollywood ecosystem. And if that means wearing even more hats, like serving as his own publicist, he’s happy to do just that.

He’s also eager to criticize one of Hollywood’s largest studios for its attempt to influence the culture. Numerous Disney employees recently admitted to promoting sexual identity content in stories aimed at young children.

“Walt Disney said movies and television will influence our youth,” Sorbo recalled of the company’s iconic founder’s philosophy. “If Walt saw what Disney had done to his brand today, he’d be spinning in his grave.”

“He was right, that [content] can be a positive and negative effect on the youth because they totally get sucked into it … and the messages are always there,” he said. “But this is the battle we’ve got, and this is the battle we gotta keep fighting, and I’m gonna keep fighting with movies that are positive.”