Hollywood insiders lay bare ‘intimidation’ tactics by woke celebrities branded worse than the Ku Klux Klan: ‘Everyone is living in fear’

Every star – and there were many – who put their name to the pledge published on Monday surely knew how incendiary that action was.

Hollywood A-listers, including Oscar winners Susan Sarandon, Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix, were among the 1,300 industry giants who signed the open letter ‘Film Workers for Palestine’.

In it, they stated: ‘In this urgent moment of crisis, where many of our governments are enabling the carnage in Gaza, we must do everything we can to address complicity in that unrelenting horror.’

They vowed to ‘not screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions – including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies – that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against Palestinian people.’

By the end of the week, the number of signatures had snowballed to 4,000. And if, along with publicity for their cause, their intention was also to stir up division, then they succeeded.

Some of Hollywood’s biggest hitters have told the Daily Mail that the events of the last week have left them feeling ‘intimidated and scared’ to voice support for Israel.

By Tuesday more than 4,000 actors and Hollywood insiders – including Oscar winner Olivia Colman – had signed the pledge to boycott the Israeli film industry

Emma Stone also signed the pledge which has left many in Hollywood feeling ‘intimidated and scared’

One prominent agent who represents some of the names on the pro-Palestine list said: ‘It feels like Hollywood is in the grip of a new type of censorship.

‘It’s trendy to support Palestine so all of these woke stars are jumping on the bandwagon, while those of us who disagree with them are too terrified to speak up for fear of being canceled.

‘Liberal Hollywood has always been sympathetic to left-wing causes. It doesn’t matter that Hamas started this conflict with the mass slaughter of innocent Israelis on October 7 two years ago.’

The agent continued: ‘Hollywood celebrities have an inflated sense of their own worth and believe people want to hear their views. Of course, most people don’t give a damn what their favorite star thinks and, in fact, the opposite is true.

‘People want to be entertained by Hollywood, not lectured. These stars are hopelessly out of touch and living in a woke, elite bubble.’

However, the fear of being hit with negative consequences for sharing a view out of step with the woke agenda seems well-founded.

Some stars who have voiced support for Israel have faced swift retribution.

Gal Gadot, who played the Evil Queen in the critically panned Snow White ‘woke’ remake released in March, served in the Israeli Army and has repeatedly expressed support for Israel in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks. She has previously blamed the film’s failure at the box office on anti-Israel backlash.

Gadot shared the screen with Rachel Zegler – a passionate advocate for Palestine – as Snow White. It’s fair to say there was no love lost between the two, with reports claiming that Disney had the actresses promote the movie separately.

Gadot said: ‘I was positive the movie was going to be a huge hit and then October 7 happened, and what happened all over in different industries, not just Hollywood, was a lot of pressure put on celebrities, actors, creators to post against Israel.

‘And it happened. I can always explain and try to give people in the world context about the situation and the reality in Israel, and I always do that.

‘But in the end, people make up their own minds. And I was disappointed that the movie was incredibly affected by all of that.’

The entire production became so mired in politics that some branded the flop the ‘end of woke’ – the moment it all went too far, as stars turned audiences off with what appeared to be performative political stances.

However, it’s become clear that thousands of actors and film industry workers who signed this week’s boycott pledge didn’t get the memo.

One high-level insider told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s profoundly illiberal for actors to turn their backs on the film industry of an entire nation.

‘It’s bigoted to show such intolerance towards people simply because they happen to be born in Israel. It’s the antithesis of the freedom of speech woke Hollywood goes on about.

‘The irony is lost on those who signed the letter. They are behaving like a cult. If you don’t join us, then you are against us. It’s bullying.

‘They should stick to making movies and leave real world issues to those who understand real world problems.’

Gal Gadot starred as the Evil Queen in the critically panned Snow White released in March. The Israeli actor blamed anti-Israel backlash for the movie’s poor performance

Gadot (right) shared the screen with Rachel Zegler (left) – a passionate advocate for Palestine – as Snow White

Meanwhile, a senior Disney executive who witnessed the Snow White debacle said: ‘This is basic censorship. Who makes the decision [that these] Israeli organizations should be boycotted?

‘From what I understand, this is a blanket ban on the entire Israeli film industry. Where is the fairness in that?’

The Disney insider revealed that the letter has been the main topic of conversation in studios and agencies across Hollywood all week.

‘So many people disagree with it, but everyone is terrified to speak out.

‘We’ve all seen what happens to people who try and talk back against the woke mentality. You get canceled. The irony is that many of the most powerful men and women in Hollywood are pro-Israel, but they are too scared to come out and say it publicly.

‘The movie industry is being torn apart by this. Everyone is living in fear of saying the wrong thing and losing our jobs.’

Ben Simon, president of Israel’s screenwriters’ union, described the boycott as ‘deeply worrying and counterproductive’.

He said: ‘For decades, Israeli creators, artists and storytellers – myself included – have dedicated our work to reflecting the complexity of our reality.

‘We have constantly given voice to Palestinian narratives, critiques of government policies and the diverse perspectives that shape our society.

‘This could silence the very voices that work tirelessly for reconciliation and understanding.’

The Israel-Palestine conflict has already brought chaos to some of the world’s biggest film festivals.

At the Venice Film Festival, pro-Palestinian film The Voice of Hind Rajab, which recounts the killing of a five-year-old girl in Gaza and has Brad Pitt as one of its executive producers, received a standing ovation.

But director Kaouther Ben Hania said he had received ‘thousands and thousands of intimidating messages’.

Protesters took to the streets at the 82nd Venice Film Festival in August

Israeli movie The Road Between Us, which tells the story of an Israeli father who sets out to rescue his son after the October 7 attacks, was initially dropped from the Toronto Film Festival before being quietly reinstated.

The director of that film also received death threats.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, told the Daily Mail: ‘It is absolutely outrageous. Hollywood is a place which specializes in fiction. I’ve won two Academy Awards, but I would say these people should stick to fiction because they don’t understand facts.’

The rabbi most certainly does. His two Oscars are for his role as co-producer and co-writer of the 1981 Holocaust documentary Genocide, and as co-producer of the 1997 documentary The Long Way Home about the suffering of tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors.

He added: ‘Anyone who supports Hamas today is the equivalent of someone who supported the Third Reich and Hitler during the Second World War.

‘The State of Israel is a democracy, and the other side are terrorists. Whose side do you want to be on? You have to stand up to terror and be on the right side of history. The people who signed this letter are not on the right side of history.’

One A-lister who refuses to be silenced, of course, is Jerry Seinfeld, whose unrelenting support for Israel has seen pro-Palestinian activists protest outside his gigs and heckle him on stage.

On Tuesday, Seinfeld told students at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina that he held the Ku Klux Klan in higher regard than supporters of the Free Palestine movement.

‘Free Palestine is, to me, just… you’re free to say you don’t like Jews. Just say you don’t like Jews,’ the 71-year-old comedian said on stage, according to the Duke University Chronicle.

‘By saying “Free Palestine”, you’re not admitting what you really think,’ he continued.

‘So, it’s actually – compared to the Ku Klux Klan, I’m actually thinking the Klan is actually a little better here, because they can come right out and say: “We don’t like Blacks, we don’t like Jews.” OK, that’s honest.’