On Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast this week, director Woody Allen recalled the day he directed Donald Trump in the 1998 film Celebrity. Although Allen insisted he’s no Trump supporter, his praise for Trump’s performance stood out.

“No, I’m not a Trumper. I’m one of the few people who can say he directed Trump. I directed Trump in a movie… in Celebrity. And he was, you know, he was a pleasure to work with and a very good actor,” Allen said.

Trump appeared as himself in a scene with actress Judy Davis. In it, he joked about tearing down St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City to build a “very, very tall and beautiful building.” Allen said Trump “was very polite and hit his mark and did everything correctly and had a real flair for show business.”

Maher, often one of Trump’s harshest critics, jokingly replied, “How dare you?” He even warned Allen that admitting something positive about Trump could add to his cancellation risk.

Allen kept going. “I wish I could direct him now. If he would let me direct him now that he’s president, I think I could do wonders,” he quipped. “But he was very easy to work with.”

Maher agreed that Trump comes across differently in private than in politics. “Yeah, he’s different in person, and when you say that, people who are purely emotional get very upset, even though it’s just the truth. We’re just saying the truth,” Maher said, noting that he himself had a surprisingly positive encounter with Trump at the White House earlier this year.

Allen made clear he is a Democrat, saying, “Well, you know, I’m a Democrat. I voted for Kamala Harris. And I take issue with him on, you know, 95% of the things, maybe 99%. But as an actor, he was very good. He was very convincing and very—you know, he had a charismatic quality as an actor, and I’m surprised he wanted to go into politics.”

Trump’s cameos have long been part of pop culture, from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York to Zoolander. But the admission from Allen, a fixture of the liberal entertainment world, is another reminder that Trump’s presence and charisma have always reached far beyond politics.

What stands out is that even his critics can’t ignore his natural magnetism. From movie sets to campaign rallies, Trump’s ability to command a room hasn’t changed. And as Democrats continue to attack him, their own voices in Hollywood are quietly admitting the obvious: Trump’s star power—and his leadership—are impossible to deny.