Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey has called on politicians in Lebanon to “be quiet,” and predicted it will take time for the Middle East to appreciate the value of freedom of expression.
In an interview with Arabian Business in Dubai, Spacey said: “I went to Beirut this summer. It is a remarkable place. The people there were extraordinary. It is beautiful in many places. I met incredible, very kind people. I met people from all walks of life, and all kinds of religious backgrounds, and they are all getting along. And they are living their lives. And they are doing the best that they can.
“And then you have got a lot of politicians making a lot of angry statements and shaking it all up. And I just think: be quiet. Let people live. Because they are doing ok. But all this rabble rousing creates tension that doesn’t need to be there.”
Asked for his thoughts on censorship of cinema in Middle East countries and the absence of cinemas in Saudi Arabia, Spacey said he did not think cinema was anything to be afraid of.
“Cinema is incredibly powerful. We certainly see that images that can find their way out of a country in turmoil can be incredibly powerful and very important for the world to see… I think that when images in film are used quite brilliantly and quite beautifully to tell a story, even if it is an incredibly difficult story and tough for some people to watch, that shouldn’t stop us from doing it and it shouldn’t stop some people from saying ‘I have to tell this story.’”
He added freedom of expression in the Middle East was something that would not happen quickly.
“There is no doubt that freedom is something that takes time. And there are traditions – some of them are religious, some of them are cultural, some of them are family – where you can have an art exhibition in Paris or London that might come here and raise some eyebrows. It will take time for people to embrace the idea that freedom of expression is an important part of progress. I think that there are signs that people want to find expression.”
Spacey was in Dubai to announce the involvement of the Kevin Spacey Foundation in The Middle East Theatre Academy initiative with partners Badar Jafar. The initiative is intended to bring theatre to the Middle East and promote youth participation.
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