American actors and musicians are discovering that openly criticizing the US-led war in Iraq can have a hefty price tag, with even Madonna pulling the US release of a new video rife with anti-war imagery.

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Musicians are not alone in finding themselves in the eye of the hurricane for having come out publicly against the war in Iraq.

US actress Susan Sarandon, a well-known political activist, was recently told she would not be appearing as scheduled at a charity function in Florida on fears it could cause divisions in the community.

Dustin Hoffman, who was outspoken about the war during an appearance at an event in Berlin, later canceled a pacifist speech he was due to make in Los Angeles after receiving emails of protest and threatening phone calls.

And actor Martin Sheen, who plays a US president in the television series "The West Wing," was lambasted for the anti-war stance he took, as viewers asked the NBC television network to fire him.

Before the start of the war, Sheen launched a commercial asking for more time for UN weapons inspectors: "Let's give the inspections more time, because they work."

Yet another actor, Sean Penn, found his opposition to the war cost him a film role.
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"I think there really isn't a formal blacklist, but there probably is some caution on the part of the business end of Hollywood about using a star in a multimillion dollar movie when there is a risk that there might be a boycott of that star," said Jeffe.

But she added: "It is probably quite frankly more business than ideology."

Just in case, the Screen Actors Guild has already made its viewpoint clear.

"We deplore the idea that those in the public eye should suffer professionally for having the courage to give voice to their views," it said in a statement.

"Even a hint of the blacklist must never again be tolerated in this nation," said the guild.

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