Iranian Actress Banned From Her Homeland After Nude Magazine Shoot

Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani -- who luckily, for her own safety's sake, lives in Paris -- has ignited a firestorm after posing nude for Madame Le Figaro magazine. While the actress, who co-starred alongside Leonardo Di Caprio in "Body of Lies," says the photo-shoot was a showcase of free speech, officials in her home country are outraged.

Indian news site ZeeNews.com reports:

[Farahani] appeared in the news magazine ‘Madame Le Figaro’ in protest against the ultra-conservative cultural policies, which she claims are restricting Iran’s film industry.

To up the ante on the controversy, Farahani posted what YNetNews.com called a "bare-chested photo" of herself on her Facebook page. The photo, while revealing, isn't necessarily "nude" in nature (nor is it, in the official sense, "bare-chested"). The image appears to have come from the controversial magazine shoot. Another image from the magazine that wasn't posted on her Facebook page does, indeed, seem to indicate a full-frontal exposure.

"With the little support she still had left, Farahani now betrayed her supporters too," reported Irian's semi-official Fars news agency. The outlet apparently went on to claim that she posed nude "to attract the attention of ad companies and film studios."

The penalty for her actions for the magazine shoot and subsequent photo posting? On Tuesday, Farahani said she was informed by the Iranian culture ministry that she is no longer welcome in Iran.

"I was told by a Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guide official that Iran does not need any actors or artists," she was quoted as saying. "You may offer your artistic services somewhere else."

This isn't the first time that Farahani's actions have clashed with Iranian culture norms. The 28-year-old actress moved to Paris, France, after being criticized back in 2008 for not wearing a veil at the Academy Awards.

The Daily Mail has more about Farahani's success and its impact over her relationship with her homeland:

Farahani has had a mercurial relationship with her home country.

She began acting in theatre at the age of six and her first film, The Pear Tree (1998), earned the then 14-year-old the Best Actress award at Iran's annual Fajr Film Festival.

She immediately became a leading actress in her home country, yet her performance in the 2007 film Santoori has never been seen in Iran and is still banned. [...]

Farahani's role as a nurse in Ridley Scott's Body Of Lies (2008) - which also starred Hollywood big-hitters DiCaprion and Crowe - made her the first Iranian to act in a major Hollywood film.

The image on her Facebook page has drawn thousands of comments, both positive and negative in nature.