Jodie Foster?, ?Donald Trump?, ?Academy Awards?? And A Time Of Protest

This year’s Academy Awards could be one of the most politically-charged events in the entertainment industry due to the situation that the U.S. is currently in and some of the stars are already voicing their opinions on Donald Trump even before the awards show has started.

Jodie Foster was standing outside the offices of the United Talent Agency (UTA) joining fellow protesters, some of which are also famous actors and actresses, to voice their dismay on the current administration.

Instead of the annual Oscars party, actors like Jodie Foster took part in a rally to protest the current administration’s actions such as the ban on immigrants coming from certain predominantly Muslim nations.

Foster spoke to the crowd and she told them that despite her hesitance to appear in protest rallies, she believes that the current times require everyone not to stay silent and voice their opposition against Donald Trump.

She said, “I’m not somebody who feels very comfortable using my public face for activism,” she said. “This year is a very different year and it’s time to show up. It’s the singular time in history. It’s time to engage.”

Foster went on and told the crowd that there is no better time than right now to resist the “attack on democracy.”

Another famous face who showed up and spoke against Donald Trump’s administration is Back to the Future star, Michael J. Fox.

According to BBC, the actor who has been suffering from Parkinson’s Disease since 1991, attended the rally in front of the UTA offices and shared a message of hope with the crowd.

Fox said that despite his difficulties living with his disease, he still feels that he’s one of the lucky people all because he found fame and fortune in Hollywood.

The Family Ties actor added that his good fortune is what’s motivating him to help other people, particularly the refugees who are trying to enter the United States of America.

He said, “I believe that when so much good has been done unto you, it’s natural to feel a sense of civic or even global responsibility.”

Refugees coming from the Middle East countries that Donald Trump barred from entering the U.S. have suffered a great deal under the current administration.

Before the Muslim ban was suspended, people coming from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, and Libya were barred from entering the United States even when some of them were already green card holders, which technically approves their entry into the country.

Even artists aren’t exempt from the ban and Khaled Khateeb is one of the individuals who experienced firsthand the full extent of Donald Trump’s Muslim ban.

According to Independent, cinematographer Khaled Khateeb, who hails from Syria, has been denied entry into the U.S. after officials from Homeland Security said that they have received “derogatory information” about him.

Khateeb worked on the short documentary The White Helmets, which told the story about the Syrian Civil Defense department that was responsible for saving more than 60,000 people in war-torn Syria.

Asghar Farhadi, the Academy Award-winning director of A Separation, could also be barred from entering the country but the filmmaker decided to refuse to attend the ceremony this year in protest against Donald Trump’s Muslim ban.

During the protest rally where Jodie Foster and Michael J. Fox attended, Farhadi spoke to the crowd through a video link from Tehran.

The Iranian filmmaker showed his appreciation to the artistic community by telling the rallying crowd that he sees hope in their midst when his fellow artists have come out to denounce the atrocity that Donald Trump’s administration is perpetuating against Muslims.

He said, “It is comforting to know that at a time when some politicians are trying to promote hate by creating divisions between cultures, religions, and nationalities, the cinema community has joined the people in a common show of unity to announce its opposition. I hope this unity will continue and spread to fight other injustices.”

[Featured Image by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP Images]