Tom Cruise recently made headlines for standing up in support of his agent, Maha Dakhil, amidst a tense situation at the talent agency CAA. Dakhil, a prominent figure at CAA, faced consequences internally after sharing Instagram Stories expressing solidarity with Palestine. Her reposted content received backlash within the agency and the broader industry, prompting her to step away from leadership roles within CAA’s motion pictures department.
Despite this, Cruise, a significant client of hers, went out of his way to meet Dakhil at her CAA office, showcasing unwavering support during this challenging time. This uncommon gesture underlined Cruise’s solidarity with Dakhil amid the controversy surrounding her posts, as reported by Variety.
Dakhil’s Instagram posts, touching on the Israel-Hamas conflict, triggered discussions in Hollywood about the boundaries of expression, particularly on sensitive geopolitical issues.
Dakhil faced internal repercussions after posting messages, including one stating, “What’s more heartbreaking than witnessing genocide? Witnessing the denial that genocide is happening.” She resigned from the agency’s board following another repost that read, in part, “You’re currently learning who supports genocide,” along with her added caption.
In response to the backlash, Dakhil deleted both images and issued a public apology. “I made a mistake with a repost in my Instagram Story, which used hurtful language. Like many, I’ve been reeling with heartbreak. I pride myself on standing for humanity and peace,” Maha stated in a Variety interview in October.
Even Susan Sarandon got dropped by the Hollywood talent agency UTA because she spoke at a rally supporting Palestine during the Israel-Hamas war. This was confirmed by a spokesperson for the agency in a Deadline report.