Actor Mark Ruffalo persisted in his opposition to the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger this week after California AG Rob Bonta settled his lawsuit and the deal appears ready to close.
Ruffalo, who opposed the merger from the outset, said on Threads this week that merger between the two classic studios will stifle creativity and kill jobs.
“This merger will stifle creativity, weaken free speech, and cost people their jobs — it is a bad deal for this country and should never have been approved,” wrote Ruffalo. “This is an incredibly disappointing outcome for the hundreds of thousands of us who stood up to block it, but it’s also not the end. This grassroots movement isn’t going to fade away and neither is our resolve.”
This was never about just one merger: this was about fighting back against corrupt oligarch billionaires trampling the interests of everyday people to line their own pockets. We’re still in that fight. Join us,” he added.
Ruffalo faced accusations of antisemitism from Paramount CEO David Ellison after the actor accused him and his father, Larry Ellison, of being complicit in “genocide” against the Palestinians due to their support for Israel. The actor vehemently denied the accusation.
“The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest,” Ruffalo said in response. “Criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people. This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel.”
“To be clear, my views come from my own political convictions and should never be interpreted as hostility toward Jewish people, for whom I have deep love and respect,” he added. “Everything I know about acting, activism and humanism has been profoundly shaped by the Jewish friends, colleagues and loved ones who have been integral and family throughout every point of my life.”