Susan Sarandon says her pro-Palestine stance got her blacklisted from Hollywood
Susan Sarandon has stated that her pro-Palestinian views have caused her to be shut out from Hollywood.
In November 2023, Sarandon appeared at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York and said at the event, “There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence.”
She later issued an apology for her comments and said, “It implies that until recently Jews have been strangers to persecution, when the opposite is true.”
Sarandon was dropped by her agency, United Talent Agency, in the US. Since then, the 79-year-old’s work has largely derived from Europe, with her picking up new representation in the UK and Italy.
Now, Sarandon has addressed the situation, and told Spanish media on February 27th, “I was fired by my agency, specifically for marching and speaking out about Gaza, for asking for a cease fire, and it became impossible for me to even be on television. I don’t know lately if it’s changed, but, I couldn’t do any major film, anything connected with Hollywood.”
She also detailed her recent work in the industry, adding, “I just did a film in Italy, and I did a play at the Old Vic (London) for a number of months. An Italian director just hired me, but he was told not to hire me. So, right now I kind of specialise in tiny, independent films with directors who have never directed before, and films that are in Europe or in Italy. So, that’s the main reason I haven’t been been working as much.”
The Oscar-winner then spoke about Gaza, explaining how Spain and Ireland’s support of the Palestinian people “makes you feel less alone, and it makes you feel that there is hope, because you just don’t hear that on TV in the US.”
She added of Palestine, “I personally feel very strongly that the annihilation of the Palestinian people is a horrible crime, and I’m very ashamed to be paying for that.”
Additionally, Sarandon labelled ICE as “unconstitutional” and said they are “doing all kinds of illegal things, particularly to Black and brown people”.
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