Apparently, Paramount has a blacklist, and stars who have been vocal or stood in support of Palestine are on it. According to a report by Variety, the juggernaut studio responsible for movies like Top Gun has a “list of talent it will not work with“.
What’s the criteria to get blacklisted? Anyone who is deemed “xenophobic“, “homophobic“, or “overly antisemitic” could be among those whom Paramount refuses to work with.
Back when A-listers signed an open letter calling for a boycott of Israeli film institutions, Paramount made its displeasure vocal. The studio released a statement condemning the action for “silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality” (via Variety). In return, Film Workers for Palestine clarified that their targets are companies and organizations, not individual Israelis.
Now with a supposed blacklist in the market, who are some of the actors – who have been very vocal about the situation in Palestine – that may be on the list?
1. Javier Bardem
F1 actor Javier Bardem has never shied away from speaking his mind when it comes to what the Palestinians are facing at the moment. He made a striking political statement at the 2025 Emmy Awards when he showed up with a keffiyeh around his neck. The keffiyeh is a traditional Middle-Eastern scarf that has become a symbol of support for Palestine over the last couple of years.
Javier Bardem wears a keffiyeh to the Emmys in solidarity with Gaza pic.twitter.com/gpj5KjCWT6
He has also been vocal about the situation, calling it “totally unacceptable.” During one of his speeches, Bardem stated (via Middle East Eye), “What is happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable. It’s terrible. It’s dehumanising.” He also added that the public’s right to criticize a government or state has nothing to do with the “false accusation of antisemitism.“
2. Mark Ruffalo
Mark Ruffalo‘s name simply couldn’t have been left out of the list. He has probably been one of the most vocal political activists in the past few years, who has not only spoken firmly in support of Gaza, but also on other issues that continue to rise.
A post shared by Mark Ruffalo (@markruffalo)
Talking to Zeteo’s Mehdi Hasan in September, Ruffalo discussed the human cost of conflict, stating, “I am a humanist, okay? What’s happening there is inhumane.” Listen to the full We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends for his full opinion.
3. Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix is one of Hollywood’s heavyweights who has come out in support of Gaza. In fact, he signed on as an executive producer for Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab, a movie about the final hours of six-year-old Hind Rajab, who called Red Crescent volunteers as Israeli troops allegedly opened fire at the vehicle she was in (via Variety).
Joining him as executive producers were Brad Pitt, Rooney Mara, Jonathan Glazer, and Alfonso Cuarón. Here’s a video of Phoenix talking to Theo Von about the importance and courage of talking about Gaza:
A post shared by @celebrities4palestine
In the video, Phoenix states, “What’s going on is absolutely so f*cking horrible. There’s no justification for children starving to death in a conflict.” He added that there is no need to understand geopolitics to understand human rights.
4. Andrew Garfield
It doesn’t take much for Andrew Garfield to go viral, but his comments about Gaza were like wildfire. During his appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. When asked if he had any personal needs, Garfield was humble enough to acknowledge his privilege and turn attention to where it’s most required.
He stated, “Like, we should be putting our energy toward something that actually matters, you know? Yeah, maybe the lives of, I don’t know, Palestinians in Gaza right now. Maybe that’s where we put our hearts and our energy.“
That being said, Garfield is one of the 1300+ stars and artists who have signed Film Workers for Palestine’s Pledge to End Complicity.
5. Emma D’Arcy
House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy has made their stance on the topic clear. Taking to Instagram, they once reposted Gaza’s horrifying death toll to their story. The post read, “30,000 Palestinians killed by Israel’s indiscriminate, relentless bombardment.“
A post shared by @celebrities4palestine
They also showed their support for the March for Palestine, which took place on August 09, 2025, in London.
They were also seen at the ‘Stand with Palestinians: Messages from Gaza’ event:
The event was presented by the White Kite Collective and included powerful and engaging testimonies about what the Palestinians are going through. It also included music, poetry, and a dabke dance performance (via British Theatre Guide). D’Arcy read out a moving testimony from Sami describing his imprisonment.
Other Actors That May Be On Paramount’s Blacklist
The Film Workers Pledge to End Complicity responded to the call of Palestinian filmmakers, urging the international film industry “to refuse silence, racism, and dehumanization, as well as to ‘do everything humanly possible’ to end complicity in their oppression.“
Inspired by Filmmakers United Against Apartheid, they pledge “not to 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 the Palestinian people.“
Hundreds of celebrities signed the list, who may now be facing the risk of getting blacklisted by one of Hollywood’s biggest studios. These celebrities include:
This doesn’t even scratch the surface. Do you think Paramount will go out of its way to refuse to work with these individuals, despite their popularity? Let us know your honest thoughts in the comments section below!
