New York Daily News just reported that Hasidic Jew actor Abe Karpen has droped out of the film New York, I Love You after receiving repeated death threats from his community. Karpen, who was already working on the film as Natalie Portman’s husband, was forced to leave the city and to go into hiding because the backlash from the film was so intense. Karpen is married with three children and works as a kitchen cabinet maker, but couldn’t resist when the opportunity came to star in a movie alongside A-list actress Natalie Portman. Before he fled the city he did give this statement:

“It’s not acceptable in my community,” he said of acting. “It’s a lot of pressure I am getting. They [the rabbis] didn’t like the idea of a Hasidic guy playing in Hollywood. I have my kids in religious schools and the rabbi called me over yesterday and said in order for me to keep my kids in the school I have to do what they tell me and back out.”

A friend of his Levi Okunov also gave a statement, “The community wants to kill him.”

Don’t you just feel bad for the guy, he didn’t even get his 15 min. It was more like 5!