Insiders Reveal Paramount’s Secret Actor ‘Blacklist’ Shaking Hollywood

It’s the mysterious list that’s shaking Hollywood’s most outspoken and progressive stars.

Whispers are running through Tinseltown that Paramount has introduced a new ‘blacklist’ under it Donald Trump-friendly new billionaire owner David Ellison, in order to crack down on A-listers who may have problematic views.

In Ellison’s first 100 days in charge of the entertainment giant Paramount, he has invested some of his family’s considerable wealth in a dramatic cultural transformation.

The 42-year-old sparked a reckoning at CBS News by appointing Bari Weiss as its editor-in-chief, who has since laid off as many as 1,000 staffers.

Insiders describe Ellison as intent on steering Paramount away from its liberal identity and toward a broader, middle-America audience.

Upcoming projects include Top Gun 3, a Call of Duty adaptation, and a motocross thriller starring Timothée Chalamet – big-screen, patriotic, and apolitical.

And he’s also trying to flip the script on Hollywood standards that have been common for decades.

Behind closed doors, executives have been scrutinizing actors with a history of anti-Semitism, homophobia and xenophobia, Variety reported this week.

The new zero-tolerance policy means actors and actresses who have shared their views on the war in Gaza or are openly MAGA could struggle to find work on multi-million-dollar projects.

Now insiders are blowing the lid on the clampdown and revealing the consequences it could have on the industry.

A source at Paramount told the Daily Mail that while there is a ‘list’, it isn’t on paper – but everyone knows who’s on it.

And executives are taking note of stars who could be deemed too risky in a major project.

‘There’s no official list of people we refuse to work with. But this is the most competitive time I’ve ever seen.

‘For every show or movie we buy, there are 60 or 70 we don’t. We consider everything — including the stars who are attached.

‘We’re mindful of polarizing celebrities, the ones who might create controversy. If we see a project starring Susan Sarandon or Mark Ruffalo, that’s not saying we won’t buy it, but it has to be a really good project we can justify.

‘We’ll work with people like Ramy Youssef or Pedro Pascal, but their outspoken views make us take a beat before spending money. Emma Stone signed that letter, but we’d be stupid not to consider her.

‘So no one’s blacklisted – it’s more that they’re on a mental list. If the project’s great, of course we’ll do it.’

The Daily Mail has contacted Paramount for comment. 

In September, Paramount became the first major studio to publicly condemn an open letter signed by dozens of A-listers calling for a boycott of Israeli film institutions and called the war in Gaza ‘genocide and apartheid’.

Among the signatories were Emma Stone, Javier Bardem, Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton, Hannah Einbinder, Aimee Lou Wood, Peter Sarsgaard, Rooney Mara, and Oscar-winning director Yorgos Lanthimos. 

It is not known if any have appeared on the rumored internal list, insider told Daily Mail executives admitted privately that ‘their names come up’ when projects are discussed.

Last November, Susan Sarandon claimed she had been ‘blacklisted’ after speaking out for Gaza and making remarks about Israel and Jewish people. 

‘I was dropped by my agency, my projects were pulled,’ she told The Times. ‘I’ve been used as an example of what not to do if you want to keep working.’

In 2023, after the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, Scream 7 star Melissa Barrera was dropped by Spyglass Entertainment following posts criticizing Israel’s response. 

Barrera wrote on Instagram: ‘I believe a group of people are not their leadership and that no governing body should be above criticism.

‘I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence and for peaceful co-existence. I will continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom.

‘Silence is not an option for me.’

Spyglass said at the time: ‘We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or hate in any form, including false references to genocide or Holocaust distortion.’ 

Despite the perception of Ellison’s plans for Paramount, he insists it’s not the case.

‘We’re an entertainment company first, and if you’re breathing, you’re our audience,’ Ellison said at a press conference earlier this year. 

‘I don’t want to politicize this company. Great filmmakers make great movies – that’s what we’re focused on.’