2011 is becoming the year celebrities are being punished for talking about Hitler. From fashion icon John Galliano to starlet Megan Fox, celebs need to start being careful what they discuss in public if they want to hold onto their job.
Right before the release of the Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, it has been revealed that Megan Fox didn’t voluntarily opt out of the franchise that gave her fame, she was fired. Steven Spielberg didn’t wait a second before firing Fox after she compared director Michael Bay to Hitler. Fox notoriously complained to Wonderland magazine that Bay “wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is. So he’s a nightmare to work for.” While Bay didn’t take Fox’s comments seriously it certainly didn’t go down with Spielberg. Seriously, didn’t Fox know better than to not publicly compare her director with the Nazi dictator when her producer is a prominent Jew and he also happened to make Schindler’s List.
At the Cannes Film Festival this year Danish director Lars Von Trier was banned from the festival after he stated he sympathized with Hitler at a press conference for his film Melancholia. “What can I say? I understand Hitler, but I think he did some wrong things, yes, absolutely. … He’s not what you would call a good guy, but I understand much about him, and I sympathize with him a little bit. But come on, I’m not for the Second World War, and I’m not against Jews”. After he was declared “persona non grata” by the Cannes board of directors Von Trier held a news conference of his own in Danish where he admitted his comments were foolish “It was really stupidly done and it was in the wrong forum. At the press conference with Danish journalists, there were no problems, but I do not think the international journalists understand my Danish humor”.
The most famous Hitler related incident in recent times has been John Galliano’s “I Love Hitler” rant. Galliano’s comments not only hurt the sentiments of his fans including Natalie Portman, it also got him fired from his position as creative director from the fashion empire, Dior. Galliano has since been treated for multiple substance abuses and will be in court today facing a trial for his anti-Semitic remarks. While Galliano has apologized for his words, he has been shunned by most people in the fashion industry. If Galliano loses this trial he faces a fine of up to $31,500 and 6 months in prison. Ouch.