Adam Brody could have gone the fading heartthrob route.
"The O.C." alum had a respectable career following that teen showcase's cancellation. The drama had put him on the map, and he made the most of it by lining up a string of film and TV roles. He'd often play secondary characters, but a gig's a gig.
Hollywood is brutally competitive, and he kept finding work. For every former teen actor who sustained an impressive career, think Johnny Depp, many others fade from the scene.
So Brody essentially won the lottery anew by snagging the co-lead role in "Nobody Wants This." The buzzy Netflix rom-com cast him as Noah, a kind-hearted rabbi falling in love with Joanne, a secular woman played by Kristen Bell. Can they survive two very different worldviews?
The unusual subject matter caught many by surprise. So did the first season's comedic elements. This rom-com actually delivered laughs.
Here's betting the show won't go past the third season, set to drop on Oct. 22. Why?
For starters, the initial romance is always more interesting than the "happily ever after" part. How many rom-coms focus on the latter, not the former? The show's second season wasn't nearly as electric as the initial batch of episodes.
More importantly, Brody just stuck his foot in his mouth via a new interview with GQ magazine. The actor weighed in on the "Israel is committing genocide" canard amplified by the Left and the Media (but we repeat ourselves).
Put me down as thinking it’s a genocide. Put me down as wanting a free Palestine...It’s awful that it’s taken so much death and misery, but it does feel like it’s reaching a breaking point that it should have a while ago. I’m hopeful that another administration can really do some good and correct some of these policies that are helping that situation be as awful as it is.
Let's put aside the absurd phrasing ... "put me down as..." Really. We also can ignore the factually-challenged nature of the response. He's an actor, not a Middle East expert.
What about an actor starring in a major Jewish drama wading into the most controversial debate involving Israel, the Jews and modern society? Couldn't he have found a dozen ways to dodge the question, change the subject or, in a perfect world, both?
"Nobody Wants This" likely has a large Jewish audience, consumers who rarely see their faith get a closeup like this. Not every Jewish person adores the show, but the rom-com series is trying to address issues that matter to American Jews.
Instead, Brody went the Full Macklemore. The matter isn't going away.
A rabbi who previously consulted on the show's Jewish content is slamming Brody for his commentary. Here's what Rabbi Steve Leder said about the show's co-star.
You, by your own admission are a relatively ignorant Jew, and your ignorance really showed the other day.
If you’re gonna use a word like ‘genocide,’ you oughta know what it means... Here’s some more technical advice; if you nothing about something, you should say nothing about it.
Ouch. Here's betting the Rabbi isn't alone with those sentiments. How many Jewish Netflix subscribers heard Brody's comments and said a variation of, "yeah, I'm done" about the show's third season?
