LANGLEY, VA: Eagle-eyed social media spies might have noticed that the Central Intelligence Agency’s Instagram account (@CIA) has finally started following a few people. Eleven people, to be exact, all actors and actresses who have portrayed spies and CIA officers.
The CIA launched its Instagram page on April 25, but it had not followed anyone else until Thursday afternoon, said Sara Lichterman, media spokesperson and entertainment industry liaison for the CIA.
The decision to follow Hollywood stars including Tom Hanks, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Melissa McCarthy and John Krasinski is part of the CIA’s Reel vs. Real initiative, aimed at leveraging the concept of myth versus reality in Hollywood.
"It is a way to explain our mission to the public, to show what is real and what’s not," said Lichterman. "So many of our officers’ identities can’t be revealed, so the public comes to know us through these fictional spies even though they are not necessarily who we are."
Why today? Lichterman said Throwback Thursday seemed fitting, especially as it gave the CIA an opportunity to show the public what stars have visited its HQ.
"We have a fun Instagram Story up right now about different actors and actresses who have come to our headquarters," she explained.
Here is the list of stars the CIA follows and the spy movies or shows they’ve been in.
Melissa McCarthy, Spy
Claire Danes, Homeland
Ryan Reynolds, Safe House
John Krasinski, Jack Ryan
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Garner, Alias
Ben Affleck, Sum of All Fears, Argo
Bryan Cranston, Argo
Tom Hanks, Bridge of Spies
Pierce Brosnan, James Bond series
And the official 007 account
Earlier this year, the CIA unleashed a Black Panther tweetstorm during the Academy Awards.
