I suppose we are all very delluded about our worldly professions and the positive and negative effects they may have on others. Perhaps Tom Hanks blindness to the power of that media is no worse than my own.
Never-the-less, if you made such a film about Islam's so-called prophet, you'd end up dead (so will we all - but all the sooner in such a case). 
andy holland
sinner
ioannis wrote:If he were really Orthodox, he should be excommunicated for being an actor in the first place, for his own good. His spiritual confessor should have told him this.
I don't think one should be excommunicated just for being an actor. Some actors are/have been good Christians, like that Ricardo Montalban fellow and Patricia Heaton, etc. Some actors are good role models. I think that it depends on what they participate in.
Anastasios
Anastasios,
The thinking is not so much what type of movies the person is a part of, but that acting is the spiritual equivalent of a soldier getting out of his trench and walking into no-mans-land with a big sign, "shoot me if you can.". 
If the whole premise of an orthodox spiritual life is the drying up of our passions by cutting them off and starving them, and by this, unity with God and our own deification and godliness, then acting is totally incompatible. One Protestant saying that really works well with Orthodoxy is WWJD.
I beleive this is why we see canons such as these from the the Council of Laodicea...
CANON LIII. CHRISTIANS, when they attend weddings, must not join in wanton dances, but modestly dine or breakfast, as is becoming to Christians
CANON LIV. MEMBERS of the priesthood and of the clergy must not witness the plays at weddings or banquets; but, before the players enter, they must rise and depart.
CANON LV. NEITHER members of the priesthood nor of the clergy, nor yet laymen, may club together for drinking entertainments.
But I think you are right, excommunication may not be an immediate nessesity or perhaps not one at all. At the same time, a responsible priest would never let the person be an actor in the first place, and if the person was not obedient, then that should be cause for excommunication; to protect that person, not a punishment.
This is just my opinion anyway.
Tom Hanks certainly has revealed his true faith. He has shown that he does not fear God and dares to participate in a project that is completely blasphemous. Of course, a man of his popularity doesn't get there without "friends" in the right places. I've lost all respect for him, as a person.
Mel Gibson, on the other hand, does show his true faith. He may not be Orthodox, but he is God-fearing. Plus, the movie, Conspiracy Theory reveals how he sees the world. I bet, good ol' Tom, wouldn't dare touch a movie like that. His brothers would not like it.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Ps. 50)
Ioannis,
I appreciate your point of view, and you know certainly that I hold you in high esteem; I think that certainly most acting these days is part of a wide system of immorality. However, I would like to politely engage you on this point.
In regards to those canons, I am of course aware of them and probably should have anticipated their being brought up and explained why I did not think they applied to this situation. Acting and in fact most entertainment in that time involved prostitution, nudity, and making sacrfices to the emperor. Hence, there was simply no way that one could be an actor and be a Christian. Before the conversion of St Constantine--and in fact, up until the time of St Theodosius the Emperor, it was impossible to be an emperor and a Christian as well, which explains why St Constantine delayed baptism. St Theodosius, being forced into the situation, tried his best to make it work which invovled changing a lot about the office of emperor. In the same way, a lot has changed in theatre since those times as a result of the entire culture being gradually Christianized--a process which as we know is now unraveling. The point is there are always these two tensions and one must make a judgment as to which one is the prevailing trend in any given action that we do that is gray (ie not sinful per se and not good per se, such as relaxation, going out to eat, playing a game, exercising, etc). A good restaurant could be a valid time for relaxation (even St Anthony the Great played leap frog and such games with his monks) or it can be a temptation if one indulges in gluttony and drunkeness.
In the same way, movies can be used for Christ, can be used for relaxation that is neither bad nor good, or can be used for evil. I believe that movies like the Passion of the Christ fall into the former, and many artistic movies that are certainly not immoral fall into the middle category, and that the vast majority of modern American movies fall into the latter (although there are some exceptions).
I personally believe that it's best to avoid movie theatres so that if a movie begins to turn immoral it is not hard to leave especially if with friends. If watched on DVD for instance one can certainly turn it off. Also, the exorbinate rates that one pays to see a movie these days borders on sinful indulgence.
At any rate, acting is a cultured profession if used for God's glory or at the most for relaxation. It's not any different than being a mayor or a politician, which many Orthodox participate in. You can do it for God's glory or for evil. A good actor can star in roles that push forward knowledge of Christ, Christian culture, themes of good and evil, etc. I see it no different than Dostoyevsky writing novels in his time.
Let's remember that at least one bishop we both know had his monks watch the Passion of the Christ, and the ones starring in this movie were all actors.
So I would certainly agree with you that most of the movies today are immoral and should be avoided, but I believe that Orthodoxy teaches us how to make moral choices, unlike RCism which tends to give you a drawn out black and white definition of everything. If you want to say it's better not to watch movies, I would generally agree. We should all be praying more. But when it's time to relax or when one wants to see a positive message reinforced or when one wants to see artistic elements a wholesome movie is ok and hence being an actor that participates in these films is justified.
Yours in Christ,
Anastasios
