Susan Sarandon says she was blacklisted over Gaza ceasefire calls
Actress Susan Sarandon said that she has been blacklisted in Hollywood due to her calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
"I was fired by my agency, specifically for marching and speaking out about Gaza, for asking for a ceasefire," Sarandon said Friday during a conversation with Reuters.
Her remarks came just before she was honored with the International Goya award at the Spanish Film Academy’s ceremony in Barcelona.
"It became impossible for me to even be on television," Sarandon said. "I don’t know lately if it’s changed. I couldn’t do any major film or anything connected with Hollywood."
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Sarandon, who was dropped by the United Talent Agency in November 2023 following controversial remarks about the Israel-Gaza war, is an Academy Award winner and BAFTA recipient.
At an anti-Israel rally in New York City’s Union Square on Nov. 17, 2023, Sarandon said, "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 apologized for the remarks, saying in part that, "Intending to communicate my concern for an increase in hate crimes, I said that Jewish Americans, as the targets of rising antisemitic hate, ‘are getting a taste of what it is like to be Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence.' This phrasing was a terrible mistake, as it implies that until recently Jews have been strangers to persecution, when the opposite is true."
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She said she ultimately sought representation outside of Hollywood.
"I found agents ultimately in England and in Italy, and I work there," Sarandon said. "I just did a film in Italy, and I did a play at the Old Vic for a number of months. I know this Italian director that just hired me — he was told not to hire me, so that’s still recently. He didn’t listen, but they had that conversation. Right now, I kind of specialize in tiny films with directors who have never directed, in independent films."
Sarandon also praised the leaders of Spain and Ireland for what she described as their support for Gaza.
"In a place where you feel repression and censorship, to see Spain and to see the president and what he says and the support that he’s giving about Gaza, and to have actors like Javier Bardem come forward with such a strong voice, is so important to us in the United States," she said.
"When you turn on the TV and you see how strong Spain is and how clear that you are morally about these issues, it makes you feel less alone, and it makes you feel that there is hope because of you all and the fact that you just don’t hear that on television in the United States. You don’t know that that exists," Sarandon continued.
The "Thelma and Louise" star added, "When someone stands up so strongly, when a nation stands up, and I include Ireland in this too, I can’t tell you how very important it is to those of us who are trying in an atmosphere that is very difficult when we see that kind of strength and moral clarity, how much it means to us."