Hollywood star Russell Crowe is shooting his latest movie around Sydney, Australia, despite coronavirus lockdowns that are forcing millions of Australians to stay at home. The film shoot has prompted a harsh rebuke from Australian politician Gareth Ward, who called it a “total mockery” of public health orders.

Russell Crowe is directing the movie Poker Face, in which he stars alongside Liam Hemsworth and rap star RZA. The movie has reportedly been shooting around New South Wales, including near Kiama, the town represented by Gareth Ward.

In a recent tweet, Ward, a member of the center-right Liberal Party of Australia, slammed the production. “This makes a total mockery of Public Health Orders,” he wrote. “People can’t see family and friends, funerals limited to 10, no cases in Shellharbour but still locked down but apparently ‘A-listers’ producing movies is essential?”

As Breitbart News reported, Australia’s local governments have imposed a series of coronavirus lockdowns restricting the movement of  tens of millions of people. In New South Wales, officials have recently tightened lockdown orders and given law enforcement more power in enforcing restrictions. Some reports have stated lockdowns are expected to continue through the end of August in some parts of the country.

Police arrest an anti-vaccination and lockdown protester in Melbourne on May 29, 2021, as the city enters the second day of a seven-day lockdown after a spike in community transmission of the Covid-19 coronavirus. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

Anti-lockdown protesters hold placards in Canberra on August 12, 2021, as Australia’s capital was ordered into a seven-day lockdown after a single Covid-19 case was detected. (ROHAN THOMSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Variety reported Poker Face is et in the world of high stakes poker and international finance, with Crowe starring as a tech billionaire who finds himself in a risky card game. Filming has also taken place around Sydney and at the nearby Fox Studios Australia.

Australia has become a favored shooting location for Hollywood movies and TV series. Marvel’s latest Thor sequel recently shot in the Sydney area, as did the new Hulu limited series Nine Perfect Strangers.

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