Hollywood's Brave Hearts: Stars Who Served In Iraq And Afghanistan

Hollywood has been notably reluctant to make films about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some movie scholars argue that the 24/7 news coverage of both conflicts has soured American moviegoers' taste for big-screen film treatments of the wars. Others point to filmmakers' wariness of addressing controversial topics that divide audiences and reviewers. However, the fiscal bottom line likely plays the greatest role in the lack of these films. Hollywood is a business, and if a decent return on investment is not in the offing, a film probably won't get made.

There are, however, some actors from Afghanistan who have found success in Hollywood. These include Fahim Fazli, Ali Olomi, Enayat Delawary, Mustafa Haidari, and Yousef Azami.

Hollywood stars have spoken out against the Iraq War

Hollywood stars have a long history of speaking out against the Iraq War. On the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, many reflected on the conflict, which took the lives of over 4,500 American troops and anywhere between 110,000 and 650,000 Iraqi citizens.

Some of the most famous protests came from high-profile celebrities. During his acceptance speech at the 2003 Oscars, just days after the invasion, Michael Moore declared:

> We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons. Whether it’s the fictitious duct tape or the fictitious orange alerts, we are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you, Mr. Bush, shame on you.

Moore was met with boos and was played off the stage, but he was not alone in his activism. At the same Oscars ceremony, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins flashed the peace sign to photographers, while Andy Serkis carried a placard that read "No war for oil".

Sarandon and Robbins's opposition to the war extended beyond symbolic gestures. Robbins staged a play called Embedded that lampooned the war, and the pair's activism reportedly led to the Baseball Hall of Fame cancelling a screening of their film Bull Durham.

Sean Penn, meanwhile, travelled to Iraq in 2002 to see the situation for himself. He said:

> I cannot conceive of any reason why the American people and the world would not have shared with [Iraqis] the evidence of the claim to have weapons of mass destruction. I think that the more information we push for, the more information we are given, the better off we are all going to be, and the right thing will happen.

Penn also joined a rally against the war on the National Mall in Washington in 2007, alongside Sarandon, Jane Fonda, and musician Jackson Browne.

Other celebrities to voice their opposition to the war included Dustin Hoffman, who said at an awards ceremony in London:

> This war is about what most wars are about: hegemony, money, power and oil.

Richard Gere, meanwhile, urged "we have to say 'stop', there’s no reason for a war. At the moment, Hussein is not threatening anybody."

Country music group The Dixie Chicks also protested the war, with lead singer Natalie Maines saying during a concert in London that she was "ashamed" that Bush was from her native Texas. The group returned home to hostility and boycotts, but Maines stood her ground.

Some Hollywood stars have supported women's rights in Afghanistan

In 2021, the Taliban's takeover of Kabul erased years of progress towards national peace and security. Afghan women continue to resist and work towards lasting peace and security for their country. Fawzia Koofi, Habiba Sarabi, and Maryam Rayed have devoted their careers to building peace in their home country. Fawzia and Habiba represented the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan during peace talks with the Taliban in 2020, and Maryam headed a department in the State Ministry of Peace. All three are now in exile.

In 2024, Amnesty International worked with 16 women human rights defenders from Afghanistan to showcase their powerful stories. These women stand up for their rights, push boundaries set by patriarchal customs, and face threats from the Taliban and other armed groups.

A few Hollywood stars have voiced support for the Iraq War

While many Hollywood stars opposed the Iraq War, a few have voiced their support for it. Leading the conservative voices is actor Fred Thompson, a former Republican U.S. senator from Tennessee, who fronted a 30-second TV commercial backing President Bush's Iraq policy. The ad, paid for by the group Citizens United, aired for the first time in Washington and New York in March 2003. In the ad, Thompson says, "Thank goodness we have a president with the courage to protect our country."

Other celebrities who have expressed support for the Iraq War include singer Kid Rock, who made expletive-laden comments about "slitting the throat" of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and action film star Jean-Claude Van Damme, who criticised the anti-war Hollywood crowd as "part of the axis of ignorance." Bruce Willis, while promoting a new war movie in which he plays a Navy special operations commander, also said he had considered signing up for the war but was told he was too old.

While not explicitly supporting the war, actor Tom Cruise appeared to support Bush's Iraq policy six months prior to the war but did not make any further comments. Director Steven Spielberg also made a remark in September before the war that expressed tentative confidence in Bush's stance.

Some celebrities who did not directly address their support for the war have faced criticism and calls for boycotts of their work, such as the country music group The Dixie Chicks, whose lead singer Natalie Maines said she was "ashamed" that Bush was from her native Texas.

Hollywood stars have served in the military

Many Hollywood stars have served in the military, including:

• Bea Arthur, who was a typist and truck driver in the Marine Corps for two years beginning in 1943.
• Morgan Freeman, who joined the Air Force in 1955 and served as a radar technician.
• Elvis Presley, who was drafted into the Army in 1957 and rose to the rank of sergeant before being discharged in 1960.
• Adam Driver, who joined the Marines shortly after 9/11 and served for two years and eight months before being medically discharged after a mountain biking accident.
• Chuck Norris, who joined the Air Force in 1958 and was sent to Osan Air Base in South Korea, where he began training in martial arts.
• Tom Selleck, who served in the California Army National Guard from 1967 to 1973.
• James Earl Jones, who joined the Army right after college and was promoted to first lieutenant while stationed in Colorado.
• Clint Eastwood, who was drafted into the Korean War and served as a lifeguard while stationed in California.
• Steve McQueen, who joined the Marines in 1947 and was honourably discharged in 1950.
• Paul Newman, who joined the Navy in 1943 and served as a radioman and rear gunner for torpedo bombers.
• Bob Hope, who never served himself but was named an honorary veteran by Congress for his decades spent entertaining troops stationed overseas.

Some Hollywood stars are originally from Iraq

While there are no Hollywood stars currently in Iraq or Afghanistan, there are several Hollywood stars who are originally from Iraq. Here are some of them:

Actors and Actresses

• Amel Senan: Iraqi-Turkmen actress known for her role in the 1988 Iraqi television series "Nadia".
• Nazem Al-Ghazali: One of the most popular singers and actors in the history of Iraq.
• Namaa Alward: Actress.
• Naguib el-Rihani: Actor.
• Sophia Jawad: Actress and model based in the United Arab Emirates.
• Hind Kamel: Well-known Iraqi actress and film director now residing in Jordan.
• Dina Mousawi: Actress of British/Iraqi origin.
• Heather Raffo: Award-winning playwright and actress, known for her role in "9 Parts of Desire".
• Alia Shawkat: Actress known for her role as Maeby Fünke on "Arrested Development". Her father is from Iraq.
• Yasmine Hanani: Actress known for her roles in "Voices of Iraq" and "The Kingdom".
• Nicholas Kadi: Actor, known for "Quest For Fire", "Navy Seals", and "George Of The Jungle".
• Chris Kattan: American comedian and actor, best known for his work on "Saturday Night Live". His paternal grandfather was of Iraqi Jewish descent.
• Michael Nouri: American television and film actor, known for his role in the 1983 film "Flashdance". His father is from Baghdad, Iraq.

Others

• Donny George Youkhanna: Archaeologist, anthropologist, author, curator, and scholar. Visiting professor at Stony Brook University in New York.
• Jessica Meir: NASA astronaut, marine biologist, and physiologist.
• Thomas L. Saaty: Professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
• Nada Shabout: Art historian and Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas.
• Huda Kattan: Founder and CEO of Huda Beauty.
• Rend al-Rahim Francke: Politician, political activist, and former Iraqi ambassador to the United States.

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