As Hollywood enters the heart of its awards season – a three-month orgy of frothy self-celebration and pop culture glamor – celebrities and their representatives find themselves with a serious decision to make: what to say, if anything. something, about the Israeli awards ceremony. Hamas war.
Movie stars are increasingly willing, even determined, to use awards shows like the Golden Globes, scheduled for Sunday on CBS, to draw attention to progressive causes and concerns. In recent years, winners such as Meryl Streep, Russell Crowe and Michelle Williams have incorporated topics such as sexual harassment, the global refugee crisis, abortion rights, Trumpism, climate change, Black Lives Matter, veganism and war of Ukraine in his acceptance speeches.
Viewers on both political sides sometimes bristle at what they see as elitist sermons. But in the Los Angeles ballrooms where these trophies are handed out and such speeches are given, the response is usually uniform praise. Celebrities dressed in haute couture stand to offer ovations.
The war between Israel and Hamas is much more complicated.
“It’s such a treacherous subject: There’s no response, especially in the noise of a red carpet, or in a fast-paced acceptance speech, that won’t offend someone,” said Martin Kaplan, who directs the Norman Lear Center for Entertainment. , media and society at the University of Southern California. “Add alcohol to the mix, as is often the case at these awards dinners, and what could go wrong?”
The reaction to the conflict has shaken Hollywood, where there is a large Jewish presence, along with many other parts of the United States. On the one hand, there is ardent support for Israel. On the other, there are those who see the Palestinian cause as an extension of the social and racial justice movements that swept the United States in the summer of 2020.
Movie stars have said goodbye. Agencies have lost clients; Clients have abandoned agents. Friendships have broken down and people accuse each other of hypocrisy and betrayal.
Ahead of the Golden Globes, which kick off awards season, some publicists and agents have been advising celebrity clients not to say anything about the war between Israel and Hamas. One carelessly chosen word could ruin your Oscar hopes and maybe even your career. A longtime Hollywood publicist who has clients in this year’s Oscar race summed up her advice on the subject as “run for the hills.” A couple of A-list clients, she added, would walk the red carpet but skip interviews. Too risky.
Others worry that the silence itself is a political message. After Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, most Hollywood unions were quick to condemn the violence. But one major union, the Writers Guild of America, declined to issue a statement, standing by its decision amid huge backlash from hundreds of its members.
Some major Hollywood communications firms, including Rogers & Cowan PMK and ID PR, have offered yellow ribbons for use in support of the hostages in Gaza. They consider the effort, led in part by Ashlee Margolis, who runs a fashion and entertainment marketing company called A-List, to be apolitical, although some might disagree.
“Wearing a symbolic yellow ribbon to support the 136 women, children and men – both Israeli and American – who were brutally kidnapped by terrorists and remain in captivity is not only powerfully humane, and certainly not controversial, but also ready to be filmed,” Melissa Zukerman, a managing partner at Principal Communications Group, said in an email.
The parade of ceremonies following the Golden Globes will include the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Independent Spirit Awards and the British Academy Film Awards, before culminating on March 10 with the Academy Awards. This year, the Emmy Awards and the Governor’s Awards, delayed by the strike, have also been left in the hallway.
Most of these galas have red carpets full of reporters. Stars should expect to be asked about the war between Israel and Hamas, said Marc Malkin, senior editor at Variety and co-host of the official Golden Globes preshow on Sunday. “If they posted about it on Instagram or signed an open letter, it’s fair game,” he said.
This appears to include Israeli-born actress Natalie Portman, nominated for “May December,” who has posted on social media expressing horror at the Hamas attack, and Jeffrey Wright, nominated for his performance in “American Fiction,” who has questioned the wisdom of Israel’s retaliation. Bradley Cooper, nominated multiple times for “Maestro,” signed two public letters, one about the hostages in which he urged “continuing the fight for their freedom” and the other calling for “an immediate reduction in tensions and a ceasefire.” ”.
Spokeswomen for those nominees declined to comment or did not respond to questions.
The next self-congratulatory marathon could certainly go off without a hitch, with celebrities speaking knowledgeably about the complex and divisive issue. But the odds are not in Hollywood’s favor. The movie business has a long, if not proud, history of tone-deaf behavior.
There was a moment in 2008 when Sharon Stone, walking a red carpet, sparked a media frenzy by saying that an earthquake in China, which left 88,000 dead or missing, was perhaps karmic revenge for the country’s handling of Tibet. In 2022, jaws dropped in living rooms across America when, moments after Will Smith attacked Chris Rock on the Oscars stage, guests inside the theater gave Mr. Smith a standing ovation after his tearful speech. acceptance as best actor.
Awards shows often had a fiery speech here, a political outcry there, whether it was when Marlon Brando sent a pro-Native American activist to reject his 1973 Oscar for best actor or when Vanessa Redgrave denounced “Zionist thugs.” ” in 1978. For the most part, though, the stars went out of their way to be stars, resorting to charm and saying nothing that might alienate a single ticket buyer.
That has changed and the Golden Globes have led the way.
In 2017, Streep lashed out at President-elect Donald J. Trump from the Globes stage. The following year, the Globes became a de facto rally for the Time’s Up movement, with actresses dressing in black to protest sexual harassment and Oprah Winfrey giving a blistering speech. In 2020, Williams made a passionate call for abortion rights, while Crowe drew attention to climate change and the Australian bushfire crisis.
Last year, the Globes gave airtime to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who gave a speech about his country’s war with Russia.
Globes representatives did not respond to questions about whether this year’s show would be affected by the policy.
Producers who specialize in awards telecasts say research, compiled primarily by Nielsen, indicates that most viewers don’t like it when celebrities turn a trip to the stage into a political bullying pulpit. A recent Oscar producer said that analysis of minute-by-minute ratings indicated that “vast swaths” of people turned off their televisions when celebrities started weighing in on politics. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential metrics.
Comedian Ricky Gervais, host of the Globes in 2020, used part of his monologue to tell Hollywood that he was testing the public’s tolerance for mixing serious causes with awards bacchanals.
“You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything; you know nothing about the real world,” Gervais said, adding: “If you win, come, accept your little prize, thank your agent and your god.” and get off the stage.
