The deaths of two Americans—Renee Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on January 24—after they attempted to intervene during actions by immigration authorities in Minneapolis have sparked a wave of protest among actors and singers, with many voicing outrage at what they call excessive force.
At the Sundance Independent Film Festival in Utah, several Hollywood stars used the red carpet to denounce the death of Alex Pretti. The festival, created by Robert Redford, is set to move to neighboring Colorado after this year’s event.
Natalie Portman, promoting the film The Gallerist, appeared visibly emotional when discussing the situation. “What is happening in our country is simply obscene,” she told AFP.
“We’re also going through a pretty devastating time in our country’s history,” Portman also told Variety. “It’s really impossible not to talk about what’s happening right now, the brutality of ICE and the need to end it immediately.”
“We Must Not Trivialise This”
During a screening of The Invite, American actress and director Olivia Wilde described the shooting as “incomprehensible.”
“These courageous Americans who came out to protest the injustice of these, quote, ICE ‘agents’, seeing them being murdered is incomprehensible, we must not trivialise this.”
“We are not living in a normal period,” actor Edward Norton told LA Times while at Sundance. “It feels like we are witnessing unlawful attacks on Americans and human beings on a daily basis. And that is not acceptable. Even though everyone has to kind of put one foot in front of the other and deal with the demands of everyday life, we can’t pretend like nothing is happening.”
“What should we do about the massacre of American citizens by the Gestapo?” he also asked the Hollywood Reporter. “We sit here talking about cinema while an illegal army rises against American citizens.”
Norton called for expanding the protest movement against ICE’s actions, a movement that began in Minneapolis and gained momentum following the death of Renee Good and, subsequently, Alex Pretti.
In Park City, demonstrators briefly marched in the streets. Actor Elijah Wood was among them, telling Deadline: “What happened to the people who were illegally shot in Minnesota is horrible.”
The satirical program Saturday Night Live addressed the issue in a sketch broadcast this weekend, sharply criticizing the immigration police.
“Methods Worthy of the Gestapo”
“I understand that ICE agents are human beings, supposedly, and that they have a job to do,” said comedian Michael Che. “But at some point, when you pepper spray old ladies or shoot a nurse, do you ever ask yourself: ‘Are we really bastards?’”
Earlier this month, singers Bruce Springsteen and Billie Eilish also spoke out about the events in Minneapolis. “Right now, we are going through an incredibly crucial period. The United States, the ideals and values that it has embodied for 250 years, are being tested like never before in modern times,” Springsteen declared, denouncing the “Gestapo-like methods” of ICE.
“We see our neighbors being kidnapped, peaceful demonstrators being attacked and murdered, our civil rights being stripped,” Billie Eilish added, discussing the fate of Renee Good.
Worth a look
