Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon said she has been blacklisted due to her pro-Palestinian statements and views since the war in Gaza broke out last year and was made an example for Hollywood.
Sarandon, 78, said last November, soon after the Hamas massacre of October 7, that that Jews were “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 was speaking at an anti-Israel, pro-Palestine rally.
She later apologized for her comments in a social media post, though the damage has already been done. “I was dropped by my agency, my projects were pulled,” Sarandon said. “I’ve been used as an example of what not to do if you want to continue to work.”
Sarandon was not alone in her predicament, the Times said. Others who have spoken out against Israel, including “Scream” actress Melissa Barrera who was fired, and an agent at CAA who was demoted, are also facing backlash for the comments.
“There are so many people out of work right now [since] November of last year… who have lost their jobs as custodians, as writers, as painters, as people working in the cafeteria, substitute teachers who have been fired because they tweeted something, or liked a tweet or asked for a cease-fire,” she noted.
When asked whether she thinks she’ll be offered roles in major films again, she responded, “I don’t know. [Not] anything in Hollywood.,” though she’s currently working on another indie film.
Sarandon participated in several pro-Palestinian protests in the months following the outbreak of war, where she made controversial statements claiming that the Hamas atrocities happened in “context” and stressed that people “don’t understand the history of what has been happening to the Palestinian people for 75 years. So this is an opportunity to educate people if they can have an open mind.”
The award-winning actress has been known for her political activism for years and is considered a radical left figure in American culture. She has often shared intense anti-Israel posts on social media, including videos from Roger Waters and rabbis from Neturei Karta, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish group that denies Israel’s right to exist.
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