A Fired ‘Scream’ Star, Clients Booted From Agencies and a Secret Tom Cruise Meeting: Inside Hollywood’s Divide Over Israel https://t.co/JMpsLCgnSm
— Variety (@Variety) November 21, 2023
Right after the Hamas attack on Israel, talent agency WME invited Steve Leder, the rabbi from Wilshire Boulevard Temple, to visit the agency’s Beverly Hills headquarters. The speech was secular but some staffers complained. WME dug in and invited Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt to speak.
Meanwhile, rival talent agency CAA had already demoted Maha Dakhil (American, of Libyan immigrant parents), because she had shared one post to her IG story and added What’s more heartbreaking than witnessing genocide? Witnessing the denial that genocide is happening.”
Dakhil subsequently “resigned” from the CAA internal board and stepped away for the time being from her position as co-head of the motion picture department. She remains an agent, with a client roster of high A-list talent.
Tom Cruise made it known to CAA that he was backing her. Cruise met with Dakhil at her CAA office on Nov. 15. A knowledgeable source says he took the rare step of going in person to show support for his embattled agent.
Some CAA staff threatened to walk over Dakhil treatment, but eventually backed down.
Separately, CAA cut ties with staffer Jouman (Jasmine) Barakat and two clients Saira Rao and Regina Jackson over incendiary anti-Israeli social media posts.
Spyglass quietly dropped Melissa Barrera as the star of the next “Scream” film, sources say, due to her social media posts
Complaints were made to talent agency UTA about Boots Riley and Ta-Nehisi Coates regarding their remarks.
Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz had to clarify their position after signing a letter that called Israel’s operations in Gaza “genocide.” – back in 2014
Mark Ruffalo was compelled to apologize for suggesting Israel was committing genocide – back in 2021.
Greenblatt bullied the WGA in to releasing a vague statement because they had not taken a side in the latest conflict.
Ava DuVernay is getting grief for standing up for her agent and friend Dakhil. Dakhil is now on a “Jewish listening tour” and has met with Leder and Greenblatt, the latter of which didn’t like it that a separate news report revealed they had spoken.
A lot could be said about using discretion on social media for highly emotional topics but very dark times when free speech isn’t really free and is costing people’s jobs and livelihoods.
