 Martin Sheen plays the US president in The West Wing |
West Wing actor Martin Sheen has received hate mail from the American public over his firm anti-war stance. The veteran star, who plays the US president in the political drama, has faced calls for him to be axed from the show because of his vociferous campaigning.
He also told the Los Angeles Times that bosses at the NBC network, which airs the West Wing, were concerned that his opinions would hit ratings.
 Our industry understands the necessity of guarding and cherishing those rights for which Americans have fought and died  |
But NBC has denied it is worried, saying it respected Sheen's freedom of speech. Sheen, 62, is one of a number of high-profile celebrities who have spoken out against the US going to war with Iraq.
He led a "virtual march" to oppose a war with Iraq, calling on people to deluge Washington with e-mails, faxes and phone phones.
He told the Los Angeles Times that his critics had demanded he be fired from The West Wing.
He also said he had received an "avalanche of hate mail and been accosted on the street, accused of being a traitor for such activities".
HAVE YOUR SAY What an actor thinks of it is as relevant as what Tony Blair thinks of a film |
Meanwhile, the Screen Actors Guild has expressed its concern that actors who choose to express their reservations about war are being blacklisted.
The union has called for stars to be allowed to speak their minds without fear of losing their jobs.
Unacceptable views
"While passionate disagreement is to be expected in such a debate, a disturbing trend has arisen in the dialogue," said a SAG spokesman.
"Some have recently suggested that well-known individuals who express 'unacceptable' views should be punished by losing their right to work."
It fears the industry has not learned the lessons of the McCarthy witch hunts of the 1940s and 50s when hundreds of Hollywood stars were prevented from working because of their left-wing views.
 Charlie Chaplin was accused of being anti-American |
Among those blacklisted were Charlie Chaplin, Dorothy Parker, Orson Welles and Arthur Miller SAG believes the industry failed to protect those persecuted.
"During this shameful period, our own industry prostrated itself before smear campaigns and witch hunters rather than standing on the principles articulated in the nation's fundamental documents," the guild said.
It added: "Today, having come to grips with its past, having repudiated the insult of loyalty oaths and examined its own failings, our industry, perhaps more than any other, understands the necessity of guarding and cherishing those rights for which Americans have fought and died."
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