🎬 Why This Man Is 100% My New Favorite Actor

He has more guts than almost every other actor combined.

Why I Need You Today

Family, while I’ve been recovering from surgery this past week, I’ve had moments where I felt like I was falling behind. We’ve lost some members. I’ve been in pain. But then I saw something that truly encouraged me.

Last night, on one of the biggest stages in the world, an actor had the guts to do what almost no one else in Hollywood has done: call Israel’s slaughter in Gaza what it is — genocide — and pledge to never work with anyone who supports or justifies it.

That man is Javier Bardem. And today, I need you with me to keep telling the truth when almost everyone else hides. Please become a monthly, annual, or founding member.

Courage in a Cowardly Industry

Let’s be honest. Hollywood has been cowardly. Nearly 2 years into the genocide in Gaza, with 200,000 Palestinians killed or injured and entire neighborhoods bombed into dust, how many actors and filmmakers have spoken up with moral clarity?

A handful, maybe. Mark Ruffalo. Susan Sarandon. A scattered few more. But most? Silence. Fear. A few generic “ceasefire” posts on Instagram that vanish into the algorithm.

That’s why Bardem’s moment last night at the Emmys was so seismic. Wearing a keffiyeh scarf on the red carpet — where millions would see it — he told Variety:

“Here I am today, denouncing the genocide in Gaza. I am talking about the IAGS, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, who study thoroughly genocide and has declared it is a genocide. That’s why we ask for a commercial and diplomatic blockade and also sanctions on Israel to stop the genocide. Free Palestine.”

Family, do you understand what that means? He didn’t hedge. He didn’t dance around it. He named genocide. He cited the scholars. He demanded action.

But what he said next was SO POWERFUL.

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Symbols Matter — Words Matter More

We’ve seen actors and athletes wear pins, scarves, or colors. Symbolism is important. It forces a conversation. But symbols without words are safe.

Bardem refused to be safe. He paired the keffiyeh with the sharpest words anyone in Hollywood has spoken on this issue:

“I cannot work with someone that justifies or supports the genocide. That’s as simple as that.”

Read that again. That is a red line. Not just for him. For everyone watching.

And then he took it further, responding to Paramount’s weak attempt to dismiss the boycott of complicit Israeli institutions as “silencing artists.” He clarified:

“Film Workers for Palestine do not target any individuals based on identity. The targets are those film companies and institutions that are complicit and are white-washing or justifying the genocide and its apartheid regime.”

This is moral clarity. Not all engagement is art. Some engagement is complicity. Bardem drew that line, and he drew it in permanent ink.

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The Weight of 3,900 Voices

It’s not just Bardem. In the week leading up to the Emmys, 3,900 industry professionals signed a pledge with Film Workers for Palestine, vowing not to work with Israeli institutions complicit in genocide and apartheid.

Think about that. Four thousand people in one of the most risk-averse industries in the world signing their names to a boycott. Yorgos Lanthimos. Ava DuVernay. Adam McKay. Olivia Colman. Riz Ahmed. Emma Stone. Ayo Edebiri. Mark Ruffalo. And now Bardem, putting his reputation on the line on live television.

Family, this is not small. This is not symbolic. This is the beginning of a cultural boycott movement that echoes the boycotts against apartheid South Africa.

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Hollywood’s Hypocrisy Exposed

Of course, not everyone is happy. Paramount rushed out a statement condemning the boycott, claiming:

“Silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not promote better understanding or advance the cause of peace.”

What nonsense. What cowardice. What hypocrisy.

Nobody is being silenced for who they are. This boycott targets institutions complicit in genocide. There’s a difference between art and propaganda, between storytelling and state-washing. Bardem said it clearly:

“We shouldn’t be able to do that, in this industry or any other industry.”

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A Tipping Point

Family, I believe we are watching a cultural tipping point. Bardem’s keffiyeh and words at the Emmys will be remembered. Just as we remember artists who refused to play Sun City in apartheid South Africa. Just as we remember Muhammad Ali refusing to fight in Vietnam.

Moments like this break open the silence. They make others braver. They shift what is possible.

And let’s be real: Bardem risked more than most. He’s a nominee, an Oscar winner, an A-lister. He has everything to lose — and he still stood on the carpet and said, “Free Palestine.” That’s why, to me, he’s my new favorite actor.

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Why This Matters for Us

Family, while Bardem risks roles, we risk survival every day in independent media. We’ve lost members while I’ve been recovering from surgery. The algorithm is stacked against us. Billion-dollar outlets bury the truth.

But just like Bardem, we refuse silence. We draw the line. We call genocide by its name. We refuse to whitewash. We keep Gaza coverage free.

And we can only keep doing it if you stand with us.

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Stand With Me Now

Here’s why your membership matters right now:

• To keep Gaza coverage free for the whole world.

• To sustain independent journalism that refuses paywalls and censorship.

• To amplify voices the mainstream erases.

• To show that moral clarity still has a place in public life.

Family, Bardem showed guts on the red carpet. Now I need you to show guts with me. If you’ve ever believed in this work, if you’ve ever said “this must continue,” today is the day to join.

👉 Please become a monthly, annual, or founding member.

Love and appreciate each of you.
Your friend and brother,
Shaun

FYI

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