1) Yes, Wayne said some bad things in the Playboy interview, but it really should be taken in the context of the times. He was apparently not the "worst" of that era's Conservatives. He was pretty much the creation of John Ford, who was a complicated guy.

2) On the "Liberty Valance" set, Ford teased Wayne endlessly about how Stewart was the real hero and Wayne the draft dodger. Actor Woody Strode said it made the other actors feel sorry for Wayne.

3) Ford & Wayne were the kind of old school patiotic types, fairly Libertarian. Famously, when DeMille asked the Ford/Wayne troupe to join in on Hollywood Blacklisting (pretty much aimed at Jews/Gays) they refused. DeMille's group was more the self-righteous moral majority type.

4) Wayne was apparently quite popular among his acting peers, many of whom didn't share his political beliefs.

5) When Wayne was given the Harvard Lampoon "Two Brass Balls" award, he rolled with it, came to campus and participated in a rather light-hearted debate. He seemed to be able to poke fun at his screen image.

6) The things he said about Native Americans, Blacks, women are unacceptable, but back then he sounded like a lot of people's parents. He was an unvarnished version of Ronald Reagan (not good, but not nearly as bad as Trump?)