You know him as the evil-eyed bad-guy from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" — but the actor who plays outer-space villain Kylo Ren is a true American patriot who proudly served in the Marine Corps.
And when you listen to the humble, ego-free interviews with nice-guy actor Adam Driver, his red, white and blue sentiments dwarf the ham-fisted rantings of such phony Hollywood liberals as Sean Penn and Michael Moore.
"He's a breath of fresh air in rancid Hollywood, a guy who's not too busy, egotistical or unpatriotic to give his time, energy and talent to those who need it," writes columnist Andrea Peyser in Monday's
New York Post.
"I nominate Adam Driver as a hot actor — and a great American."
Peyser says Driver — who hosted "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend and plays Lena Dunham's boyfriend on the HBO series "Girls" — is 180 degrees apart from some peers who revel in "talking trash about our fighting men and women."
"He feels compelled to give back to the soldiers who risk their lives, every day, to make our country safe," Peyser writes.
"Driver and [his actress wife Joanne] Tucker founded Arts in the Armed Forces. The nonprofit brings thought-provoking, contemporary theater to U.S. military personnel and veterans, folks accustomed to suffering through schlocky USO shows featuring such entertainers as the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders."
In interviews, Driver has extolled the invaluable benefits of serving in the military and likened it in many ways to his career in the arts.
"The discipline, the self-maintenance, the camaraderie — they're so similar," he told NPR.
In a chat with
Vice News, he added, "It's just as valuable as any rifle you carry or any tool you can put in your pack."
Sadly, Driver's military service was cut short. Shortly before his third year in the Marines he was seriously injured in a biking accident and was unable to go to Iraq with his unit.
"The idea of not going, someone else going in your place, or not being there is not really an easy thing to sit with," he told NPR.
Compare that to the actions and words of "Oscar-winning wingnuts such as America-hating El Chapo-lover Sean Penn and documentarian Michael Moore," Peyser writes referring to Penn's secret meet-up with Mexico's top drug kingpin while he was a fugitive.
"The rotund filmmaker [Moore] tweeted his contempt for heroic military sharpshooters, such the late Chris Kyle, played brilliantly by Bradley Cooper in 'American Sniper.' 'We were taught snipers were cowards,' Moore tweeted. 'Will shoot u in the back.'"
"Disgraceful," says Peyser, who also credits veteran actor Gary Sinise as another straight-shooting patriot.
"There is a glimmer of hope emanating from an entertainment industry dominated by characters who would tear down America rather than build it up," she says.
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