Julian Schnabel has addressed pressure from Gaza activists urging the Venice Film Festival to disinvite stars Gal Gadot and Gerard Butler from his latest film In the Hand of Dante, due to their public support for Israel amid the ongoing Gaza conflict. The controversy emerged just as the festival began, raising questions about the intersection of art and political views.
While hundreds of international filmmakers and artists signed an open letter demanding the festival explicitly condemn the Gaza war, some also called for the removal of Gadot and Butler from the event. Venice Film Festival chief Alberto Barbera confirmed that neither actor was formally disinvited; however, both were notably absent from the festival itself.
Julian Schnabel Emphasizes Focus on Artistic Merit
In a press conference for In the Hand of Dante held on Wednesday, Schnabel dismissed the calls for boycotting his actors. He stated,
I think there’s no reason to boycott artists,
highlighting that the choice of cast was based purely on their acting capabilities.
I selected those actors for their merits as actors, and they did an extraordinary job in the film and that’s about it. I think we should talk about the movie, rather than this issue.
Plot and Cast Details of In the Hand of Dante
The film adapts Nick Tosches’s novel that follows a time-traveling narrative centered around a lost manuscript of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy. This manuscript, discovered in the Vatican library, travels from a priest to a New York mob boss. The story culminates with Tosches himself verifying the manuscript’s authenticity while embarking on his own transformative journey.
Oscar Isaac, portraying both Tosches and Dante, explained his attraction to the project, saying,
I think the impossibility of it. I think that’s why we get into these kinds of things, you know. The impossible dream,
and added,
Something about moving toward the more mysterious — to read it and have no idea how one would realize it, I think that’s what’s so exciting.
Creation Backstory and Actor Involvement
Schnabel revealed that the film’s challenging nature traced back to Johnny Depp, who initially gave him five books during the making of Before Night Falls. Schnabel chose the most difficult one for adaptation. Depp later stepped away from the project, and Isaac’s commitment was decisive when he declared,
If you’re going to do this, I’m your man.
The cast also features Jason Momoa, John Malkovich, Louis Cancelmi, Sabrina Impacciatore, and Franco Nero. Director Martin Scorsese appears in a small, significant role as Isaiah, an elderly sage who inspires Dante Alighieri during the creation of the poem.
Schnabel praised Scorsese’s involvement:
Marty has been extremely supportive of my work as a filmmaker,
adding,
He really wanted to do this and I thought there wasn’t really anyone else that I wanted to play that part.
Integration of Italian Talent and Festival Premiere
In addition to Impacciatore and Nero, several notable Italian actors contribute to the film, including Claudio Santamaria, Guido Caprino, Paolo Bonacelli, and Dora Romano. Romano is known for her role as a matriarch in Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God. In the Hand of Dante is scheduled to premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday night.
