Keanu Reeves is no stranger to making it on lists. He’s been nominated for awards ranging from MTV’s Best Kiss to Razzies, has earned a spot on the coveted Time 100 list and was even voted People’s Sexiest Man Alive. Recently, the popular actor snagged a spot on a different kind of list filled with some of the world’s greatest actors, singers and influencers: China’s Black List. After supporting the Tibet House charity, his films were removed from screening platforms in the country, the authorities said Los Angeles Times, at least 19 films were pulled from Tencent Video. Besides Keanu Reeves, what other stars are banned in Hollywood? Read on to find out.
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Harrison Ford and Keanu Reeves have more in common than having some of the most successful film franchises associated with their names: both are banned in China for their support of Tibet. Back in 1995, Ford’s then-wife Melissa Mathison wrote a film titled Kundun centered on Tibet’s fourteenth Dalai Lama, who addressed Chinese oppression. Both Martin Scorsese, the film’s director, and Disney (yes, the entire brand) were banned in China for their association with the film. In 1995, the Indiana Jones actor testified before the United States Foreign Relations Committee about human rights violations in China. He also advocated Tibetan independence. Since then he has been banned.
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Lady Gaga is a non-grata actress in China. In 2011, the outspoken singer was first reprimanded in China when some of her music was banned for being too vulgar. However, her music and presence in the country was totally condemned when she met with the Dalai Lama in 2016 to talk about two of her passions: yoga and compassion.
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There is an obvious pattern here: support Tibet and you will be banned from China. Of course, Brad Pitt, star of the 1997 hit film Seven Years in Tibet, was also blacklisted for negatively portraying China. Initially, Brad was banned from entering the country. Apparently, however, the Chinese government held no grudges. He was later allowed into the country in 2014 and 2016.
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No, China didn’t blame Katy Perry for kissing a girl when they banned her from the country in 2017. Just before the pop star was due to headline a Victoria’s Secret fashion show in Shanghai, she was denied a visa. Why? The government learned that during one of her concerts she dangled a Taiwanese flag over her body and also wore a sunflower dress. They interpreted both as support for Taiwan independence, which China does not support.
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It’s not Justin Bieber’s political or social beliefs that got him blacklisted in China. According to Beijing’s culture bureau, he’s simply a bad cultural influence. In a statement, they revealed that the singer has “committed a series of bad behaviors … which has led to public discontent.”
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Miley Cyrus is unwelcome in China after a 2009 photo of the singer and her friends appearing to mock Asian looks. “Miss Cyrus has made it clear that she is not a friend of China or anyone of East Asian descent,” officials said at the time. Cyrus later apologized, claiming she was just “putting on a silly face” and had no intention of offending anyone. “I learned a valuable lesson from this, and I know that sometimes my actions can be unintentionally hurtful.”
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