Hollywood executives are reportedly “furious at Javier and Penelope” for accusing Israel of “genocide” in a recent widely circulated letter, particularly Relativity Media CEO Ryan Kavanaugh, the first to come out publicly to condemn them.
"As the grandson of Holocaust survivors, I know that anyone calling what's going on in Israel 'genocide' vs. self-defense is either ignorant and shouldn't be commenting or is truly anti-Semitic," Kavanaugh told The Hollywood Reporter this weekend, saying letter “makes my blood boil.”
After Kavanaugh’s statement was published, he said he received over 500 calls, emails, and texts of support—many from high-ranking Hollywood executives.
THR reports that though they declined to go on the record, “many top execs” they contacted expressed agreement with Kavanaugh, one saying he is “furious at Javier and Penelope” for the stunt, adding that he wondered whether they would ever work as a couple again due to industry pushback.
On July 25, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz circulated a letter signed by 100 filmmakers blaming the Gaza conflict on Israel and referring to their campaign as “genocide.” Though they followed up the letter by attempting to express support for the Jewish people, the gesture largely fell flat. According to one exec, the follow-up was met by "a collective eye roll" from Israel supporters. THR suggests that the damage done by the initial letter was personal for many industry leaders and would likely have a long-lasting impact on the couple's careers.
A few big names in Hollywood have spoken out against the anti-Israel sentiment. In an Aug 2 letter, Jon Voight called for Bardem and Cruz and all who signed the letter to “examine their motives” and look long and hard at the anti-Semitism “raging all over the world now.” Meanwhile several stars—including Howard Stern, Joan Rivers, and Bill Maher—have come out in defense of Israel.
However, THR points out, many traditionally pro-Israel high-profile Hollywood players, like Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand and Jeffery Katzenberg, have remained strangely silent. And vocal critics of Israel, like Mark Ruffalo and Jon Stewart (who recently said Israel was "running out of shit to blow up"), have remained largely immune to rebuke from their Hollywood compatriots.
In response to Cruz's public statements, TruthRevolt has launched a petition asking Lancome, for whom Cruz is an ambassadress, to condemn Jew Hatred.
Sign our petition here.
