One of Hollywood's top female agents, whose clients include Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg and Barack and Michelle Obama's media company, has apologized for suggesting that Israel's military response to an October 7 attack by Hamas is akin to "genocide."
Maha Dakhil, who is a board member and co-head of motion pictures at CAA, one of the most iconic talent agencies in the entertainment industry, reposted on Instagram a "Free Palestine" thread stating: "You're currently learning who supports genocide." She also included the added text, "That's the line for me."
Later, she also posted, "What's more heartbreaking than witnessing genocide? Witnessing the denial that genocide is happening."
The Hollywood trade papers reported that she faced backlash in the industry, including within CAA, and she took down the posts while issuing a two-paragraph apology on social media.
"I made a mistake with a repost in my Instagram story, which used hurtful language. Like so many of us, I have been reeling with heartbreak. I pride myself on being on the side of humanity and peace. I'm so grateful to Jewish friends and colleagues who pointed out the implications and further educated me," she wrote.
Dakhil is also a founding member of Times Up, an organization founded in the aftermath of accusations of widespread sexual abuse in Hollywood. Her client list also includes pop icon Madonna, director Steve McQueen and actress Natalie Portman. She is also credited with helping Reese Witherspoon build her production company Hello Sunshine, which is behind the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show and the film Where the Crawdads Sing.
Newsweek reached out to CAA on Friday but did not receive a response. After Hamas attacked Israel, the agency posted on social media that "CAA stands with the people of Israel, the Jewish community, and all the innocent victims in the face of horrific acts of terrorism."
On October 7, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza. At least 4,500 people have been killed in Israel and Gaza and about 200 Israelis, including children, have been taken hostage.
Hollywood Response to the War
In Hollywood, more than 700 celebrities signed an open letter of support for Israel, including Jerry Seinfeld, Michael Douglas, Jamie Lee Curtis and Chris Pine.
But it's not a monolithic community, and many have also expressed support for Palestinians, perhaps most vehemently media personality and former adult film star Mia Khalifa, who issued on social media a slew of supportive messages for the "freedom fighters" who attacked Israel.
She also called a photo of Hamas terrorists a "Renaissance painting" and asked them to "flip their phones and film horizontal." Her sentiments caused Playboy to cut ties with her and also magic-mushroom distributor Red Light Holland. After the latter publicly fired her, she posted online that she was "angry with myself for not checking whether or not I was entering into business with Zionists."
Wallace Shawn, best known for his role as the intellectual bad guy in The Princess Bride who repeatedly used the catchphrase, "inconceivable!" appeared at a pro-Palestinian protest in Washington, D.C., and said of Israel's military response to Hamas that he "doesn't really believe in revenge, and that's what this is."
"It's certainly one of the most deliberate cruelties inflicted on a group of people that I can remember that my own government has supported," he said.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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