Hasidic Actor Walks Off Natalie Portman Movie

First he couldn't hold Natalie Portman's hand - and now a Williamsburg Hasidic Jew-turned-actor has to give up his chance to hit it big in a Hollywood movie. Abe Karpen, 25, a married father of three, was cast as Portman's husband in "New York I Love You," a film composed of 12 short stories about love in the five boroughs. "I am backing out of the movie," said Karpen, a kitchen cabinet salesman. "It's not acceptable in my community. It's a lot of pressure I am getting. They [the rabbis] didn't like the idea of a Hasidic guy playing in Hollywood. "I have my kids in religious schools and the rabbi called me over yesterday and said in order for me to keep my kids in the school I have to do what they tell me and back out," Karpen said. While news of Karpen's withdrawal sent waves of disappointment through the movie set, the Hasidic community was up in arms over Karpen's acting gig - forcing him to flee for the weekend, a friend said. Keep reading how "the community wants to kill him" -or- See the photos of Karpen and Portman filming that caused the uproar -or- See photos of Portman made up for an Indian wedding, also from the film

Comments

[dpiyjrtmfr]

Save your time. Just watch Paris Je te aime. Sounds like it is the same premise as this movie.

[sculptor]

Strong belief systems tend to invade the personal lives of those that hold them. In fact the more invasive they are the more powerful their gripe seems to be on the holders of these beliefs. I'd like to assert a rather offensive notion (or at least offensive to those that hold these types of beliefs) that subjecting children to such a belief system is possibly a violation of their fundamental human rights.

[RallyRound]

And people wonder why we won't don't have a rational settlement in Jerusalem. Fundamentalists of all types are regressive and intolerant.

[galateadoro]

just another example of religion limiting and/or destroying the prospects of someone's life.

[luckyoldson]

Ahhhh, religion.

What's not to like?

[KarenZipdrive]

Religious clergy's intolerance of their member's legitimate creative or career activities is anything but God-like.
God wants us to be creative and experience the joys that life offers us.
Those clerics who seek to deny us those opportunities are not acting like God's agents here on Earth, they are acting like they think they ARE God.

[FDRbyGodDemocrat]

They way they're treating him, it's a schande!

[GetoffMylawn]

Any comments on Hasidics are automatically deemed offensive. Don't even look at them. I've already said too much.

[Iscarius]

People and their silly religions.

[jmundstuk]

This is the face of orthodox, fundamentalist organized religion. Conform or be ostracized. Conform or die.

[Jimmyboyo]

religous crazy cult just like the xtian cults

[ethancorso]

Further proof of the enormous stupidity of religious zealots.

[sa]

dude,
i think i saw him
stumbling through the barrio
with mr. jones.

she was perfect for him -
man, there's got to be somebody for me.

p.s. i wanna be bob dylan.

[lippp]

I'm sorry, but I just don't get it. What possibly could this actor be doing to offen God? And why do apparently talented and intelligent people allow themselves to be controlled by a religion (as in cult as formal religions are)? Is it fear of death or the fact there may not be reality or existence beyond this life? If there is would one want to spend eternity with a deity that is so demanding? Now just think what it will be like in the hereafter. with such an ego centric, demanding God. And I frankly don't care what anyone's religious belief is. It's just that when these religions take hold so does bigotry and discrimination to the extreme of death and violence as in the Middle East. Hopefully someday man will evolve and discount such restrictve, odd and damaging beliefs.

[Passenger57]

This is why organized religion is no good. You can't do this,you can't do that, all because the rabbi or whatever "authority figure" says so. God is supposed to be all-powerful,but listen to THEM instead. If he had told them that God told him to do it, he'd be either labelled insane, tossed out of his "community",killed, or all three.
All any of us really needs is to know right from wrong and to treat others like you'd want to be treated. Anything else is to make themselves feel important, make money, and to control you.