Golshifteh Farahani

After further strongly worded statements against the Islamic Republic in early 2026, Farahani became the target of a social media smear campaign. Fabricated quotations or statements added to authentic interviews were attributed to her and widely circulated. Factnameh checked several of these claims and concluded that they did not appear in the original interview.

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Publication of Florian Tardif's book Un couple (presque) parfait revived a rumour in May 2026 that Emmanuel Macron and Golshifteh Farahani had maintained a supposedly "platonic" relationship. The author connected the account with the filmed incident in Hanoi involving Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron, and it attracted extensive media and social media coverage. Misleading material, including fake press images, also circulated around the rumour.

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

In 2015, Farahani posed fully nude for the cover of French magazine Egoïste. The image prompted a new wave of hostile reactions among Iranian conservatives and, according to the actress, extremely violent threats and calls for her death.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Directly implicated

In 2012, Golshifteh Farahani appeared topless in a promotional video for the César Awards and in a photograph published by Madame Le Figaro. The episode caused a major scandal in Iran. She stated that she had been told not to return to the country and that her father had faced pressure and threats. The controversy permanently shaped her image as an artist who had broken with the standards imposed by the Islamic Republic.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Following her role in the Hollywood film Body of Lies and an appearance abroad without a veil, Farahani faced significant pressure in Iran. Initial reports in 2008 of a ban on leaving the country were partly contradicted when she was able to travel. In subsequent interviews, however, she recounted that her passport had been confiscated, that she had undergone several months of questioning by intelligence services and the revolutionary judiciary, and that a judge had instructed her to leave the country.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is the victim