Julianne Moore, the Academy’s reigning Best Actress, was dismissed from a commercial for Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry because of “poor acting.”
According to Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News, the Still Alice actress filmed a promotion through an advertising agency based on her childhood travels in the country. Tourism officials didn’t approve of her performance and asked the in-demand actress to reshoot. When she declined, the project was scrapped — to the cost of $1.5 million.
Based on other comments from Turkish politicians and advertisers, it seems the gripes may be with Julianne’s personality more than her acting: Hurriyet Daily News reports she’s been slammed in the country as having a “depressive persona.” However, Emre Yücel, the owner of the ad agency that filmed the commercial, said he doesn’t get the complaints.
“I can’t understand why she is not liked here,” he said before the commercial was canned. He added he believed Julianne appeals to the wealthier tourists the Ministry hoped to reach.
Despite the poor review, it’s doubtful Julianne is concerned for her career. She has two projects in post-production, including the next Hunger Games, and is currently filming another movie.
