Actor Hugh Laurie has been facing much negativity online following his social media post paying tribute to Dana Eden, co-creator and producer of Apple TV's series Tehran. Eden was found dead at a hotel in Athens, Greece during the production of the series' fourth season. Subsequently, Laurie, also known for his role as Eric Peterson in the show, wrote on X, "Dana Eden, who co-created and produced ‘Tehran’, died on Sunday, seemingly by her own hand. It’s a terrible thing. She was brilliant, and funny, and an exceptional leader. Love and condolences to all who knew her."
However, the post has been filled with hate comments and accusations of Zionism, stemming from Laurie's association with an Israeli producer. Many netizens have been politicising it, considering the long-standing tensions between Israel and Palestine.
A couple of days later, Hugh Laurie put out another post, explaining how much he feels pressured to block people online against his own wishes. "I used to hate blocking people, and hardly ever did it. I'm older now," the actor wrote. Another day later, he added, "Nothing I have ever said or done could lead a sane person to believe that I am a Zionist. However. If someone exults in the death of a friend of mine, yes I will block them. If you wouldn’t do the same in my position, you can fuck off too."
The actor has since been gaining some support from netizens, realising that he posted the said tweets only as a form of tribute and paying condolences to the dead. At the same time, many call the actor out for "playing a role in an Israeli series," to begin with.
Coming back to Tehran, the series debuted in 2020, and its third season is still ongoing, with Prime Video following a sequential or episode-wise release.
