Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker highlighted his state’s film perks during a visit to Los Angeles this week, emphasizing that, unlike Georgia, Illinois, defends people’s freedoms like LGBTQ rights, women’s reproductive rights and in vitro fertilization.
In an interview with TheWrap at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank on Tuesday, he also criticized 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as “a bad person.”
While the financial perks — 30% credit on qualified productions — are the main attraction for film productions in his state, Pritzker clarified that quality-of-life matters as well, particularly when a show shoots in Illinois for multiple years, as with Dick Wolf’s “Chicago” series and FX hit “The Bear,” which was just renewed for a fourth season.
“We feel really good about being inviting,” Pritzker mentioned to TheWrap. “And we’re inviting in terms of our values and what we have implemented to protect people’s freedoms. The individuals on these productions generally want to be in a place where we’re defending LGBTQ rights, women’s reproductive rights and IVF.”
He compared Illinois’ “inviting” stance with Georgia, where abortion is prohibited six weeks into a pregnancy. “Even though it may not feel like [these issues] affect you if you’re visiting, it clearly is important to many of the people who are involved in productions.”
“Being competitive on the incentive front is important,” he added. “Being a world-class city that people want to be in for months on end, and maybe for years, is important. But it also is important that we don’t hinder people from expressing their rights.”
The governor also referenced a January study that found that Illinois’ tax incentives result in earning $7 back for every dollar spent, compared to Georgia, where a Georgia State University study anticipated the state would only receive 19 cents for every dollar spent in the coming year.
Peter Hawley, director of the Illinois Film Office, informed TheWrap that business is flourishing: “At present, we’ve got nine TV shows in town. And we have a good pipeline of productions coming in.” Hawley stated that 93.5% of Illinois productions identified the tax incentives as the reason they decided to film in the state.
Pritzker also shared his thoughts on whether former President Trump’s numerous legal issues will impact his campaign before November’s election, particularly as the Stormy Daniels hush money trial is now scheduled to start in New York City on April 15.
“I think it matters to people,” the governor stated. “I understand that people want to look at the polls today and say, ‘Well, it doesn’t seem to matter that he’s been indicted.’ But, every day that goes by where he’s struggling, it turns out he’s not as wealthy as he said he was, so he’s lying to people [who might start to wonder], did he, in fact, commit sexual assault against somebody?”
Pritzker continued: “I think over the next months, as there are trials and the facts that come out, and there’s more coverage of it, I do think that you’re going to see a big shift. This is a bad guy, Donald Trump, he’s just a bad person.”
While Pritzker admitted that some voters only prioritize if their taxes will be reduced, he also believes people are concerned about their reproductive rights, family, and shared values. He anticipates that this will be evident in the coming seven months.
