Comedy veteran Mel Brooks shared his first-ever political video as he announced he is backing Joe Biden for president.
The 94-year-old star, known for classic films including The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, criticised Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Brooks appeared in a video shared on Twitter and was seated at a desk while his son and grandson stood behind him, with a glass door between them and the director.
My father, @MelBrooks, is 94. He has never made a political video. Until now. #MelBrooks4JoeBiden#BidenHarris#GrassrootsDemHQ pic.twitter.com/yQZhopSbNV
— Max Brooks (@maxbrooksauthor) October 21, 2020
“Hi folks. I’m Mel Brooks,” he said. “And behind me you see my son and my grandson. They can’t be with me. Why? Because of this coronavirus and Donald Trump’s not doing a damn thing about it.
“So many people have died and when you’re dead you can’t do much.”
Brooks said he supports Mr Biden because he has embraced science and said the former vice president will “keep us going”.
He said: “So, I’m voting for Joe Biden. I like Joe. Why do I like Joe? Because Joe likes facts. Because Joe likes science. Joe will keep us going. Take a tip from me, vote for Joe.”
At the end of the video, Brooks, who belongs to the exclusive EGOT club having won an Emmy, Oscar, Grammy and Tony award, waved his son and grandson off before saying it was time to fill in his ballot.
His son, Max, said it was the first political video of his father’s long career. Brooks is far from the first Hollywood celebrity to back Mr Biden.
Taylor Swift, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jennifer Lopez are just a few of the stars supporting his White House bid.