Hollywood Actress Banned From Returning Home After Posing Nude

An actress who has starred with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe has been banished from her home country of Iran - because she posed nude in a French news magazine.

Golshifteh Farahani says she has been contacted by the Iranian government, telling her that she is no longer welcome in the country and advising her not to return home.

The offending photo - a black-and-white 'art shot' featuring the 28-year-old Farahani posing against a black backdrop with her hands strategically placed over her breasts - was first published in Madame Le Figaro.

Hollywood fame: Farahani became the first Iranian to star in a Hollywood film with her role as Aisha in Body Of Lies, with Leonardo DiCaprio

The image was then posted on her Facebook page, drawing visitors from around the world - including Iran and the Middle East.

While many criticised her 'incedency', others praised her for 'the courage to remove a taboo among the women in Muslim countries'.

Iran's anger at the image is not just because of Farahani's nudity - she has also made it known that her decision to pose is in protest against restrictive Islamic codes.

Indeed, it is why the now-Paris-based actress left Itran last year.

She told teh Daily Telegraph: I was told by a ministry of culture and Islamic guide official that Iran does not need any actors or artists. You may offer your artistic services somewhere else.'

Farahani has had a mercurial relationship with her home country.

As a result she was banned from leaving Iran, and - now that she has left her country and is living in Paris - she appears to be banned from returning.