‘Stranger Things’ star Brett Gelman admits that the vulgarity he has received online for his support of Israel and the Jewish people is terrifying.
“Am I scared? Absolutely,” he told The Post in a recent interview. “I think I’d be crazy if I wasn’t afraid.”
Gelman, 47, added that he’s “taking every necessary precaution” he can, but he doesn’t need to cower.
“I also just think that in this situation we have to face our fear and not follow it,” he opined.
“Because many of these people are cowards. Many of these people are just screamers in their basements and should be spoken out against. We have to face them. There should be counter-demonstrators against these protesters.”
The “Fleabag” alumnus is currently promoting a group of short stories titled “Scary Land of the Possible: Almost True Stories,” which aren’t solely autobiographical but definitely inspired by his childhood and fears.
“It revolves around five characters: a child, a teenager, an adult, an elderly woman and a person in the afterlife,” he explained. “And everyone is asking important questions. It’s really dealing with all these characters that very much exist in their heads. And they’re all incredibly neurotic. For me, it is definitely a cleansing of neurosis and self-hatred… It contains many autobiographical moments.”
Unfortunately, the book’s premiere was not without controversy.
Book Soup in California canceled Gelman’s March 27 performance, citing safety concerns that “became a security risk we didn’t want to take.” The store has hosted a number of controversial authors through the years, but said the cancellation was warranted as a result of “the current busy environment.”
Gelman said he wasn’t “fooled” and knew he could be criticized, but he “didn’t know it would be this terrible.”
“I didn’t know that people would categorically deny the material shot by Hamas, which shows zero concern for the hostages and Jewish pain. This erasure continues [of] it is a disregard for Jewish trauma and Israeli trauma.”
Prior to Oct. 7, the “Lyle Lyle Crocodile” actor had been vocal about his Jewish identity and even coined the term “Jaddy” — a sexually attractive older man wearing Seventies and Nineties streetwear — to explain himself.
“I think both of these outfits are very Jewish. But what he really represents is positive Semitic masculine style,” he told The Post in a 2022 interview.
“There is something extremely attractive and sexual about our people who I need to emphasise, which shouldn’t be disgusting or ugly. And that is really vital to me.”
Gelman also had a word of warning for American Jews.
“You know, it’s very hard to accept because of our assimilation, the visceral reaction we have in this country and the rest of the diaspora,” he shared. “I discuss with quite a bit of Jews on a regular basis who need to have their cake and eat it too.
“They want everyone to alter their mind and stop doing it, but they still need to be liked. And Jews actually need to comprehend that we aren’t liked. We won’t ever be liked. Yes. You know, but in the event that they do not like us, a minimum of they will respect us.
Credit : nypost.com
