Was not expecting his name on this list
Morgan Freeman has been banned from entering Russia as nearly 1,000 US citizens have been named on a blacklist following American sanctions against the country amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
963 American citizens were named on the “stop list’ released on Saturday, which includes the likes of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, several now deceased individuals and Bruce Almighty star Freeman, apparently.
The 84-year-old actor wasn’t the only famous entertainment figure to be named though, as fellow actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner also found himself among those blocked from entering the country, as first reported by The Washington Post.
Explaining their reasoning behind Freeman’s ban in a statement, the ministry said the “well-known actor” – known for stone-cold classics like The Shawshank Redemption – reportedly “recorded a video message accusing Russia of conspiring against the United States and calling for a fight against our country” back in September 2017.
The incident they are referring to seems to be a PSA for the Committee to Investigate Russia, which Freeman narrated, where the group attempted to raise awareness surrounding Moscow’s interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
Freeman said in the announcement: “We have been attacked. We are at war. Imagine this movie script: a former KGB spy, angry at the collapse of his motherland, plots a course for revenge. Taking advantage of the chaos, he works his way up through the ranks of a post-Soviet Russia and becomes president.” – i.e. Vladimir Putin.
He went on to say “[Putin] establishes an authoritarian regime, then he sets his sights on his sworn enemy: the United States.”
Freeman’s representation is yet to issue a comment in response.
Meanwhile, Reiner’s black list spot comes after he was highlighted as “one of the creators of the Internet resource Investigate Russia (investigaterussia.com)”, say reports.
The This is Spinal Tap director remains one of the nonprofit’s directors however the committee has since disbanded.
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