Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon says she is still losing film roles over her outspoken support for Palestinians, nearly three years after UTA dropped her following controversial remarks at a pro-Palestinian rally. Speaking at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday, 6 September, the Dead Man Walking and Thelma & Louise star said films had recently been 'taken away' from her and claimed agencies were still warning people not to hire her.
'I've still had movies taken away recently because there are agencies that are telling people not to hire me still,' Sarandon, 79, told reporters while promoting her new film, The Echo Chamber. 'But that's the power structure. I think [among] people, certainly internationally, I feel welcome.'
Her claim quickly sparked debate online over whether Hollywood was still punishing the actress for taking a position that has since become less unusual within the entertainment industry. 'Which is crazy, because at this point that's essentially just being punished for being "early" and pissing people off even though now many of them agree,' one Reddit commenter wrote. They summed up their view of the industry more bluntly: 'Industry of thin skinned clowns.'
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Sarandon Says Hollywood Fallout Is Continuing
The comments mark the latest chapter in a professional backlash that began in November 2023, when UTA dropped Sarandon following remarks she made during a pro-Palestinian rally in New York. At the demonstration, Sarandon said people who were afraid of being Jewish were 'getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country', comments that drew widespread criticism and accusations of antisemitism.
She later apologised on Instagram, calling her phrasing a 'terrible mistake' and saying she had intended to express solidarity in the fight against bigotry. Sarandon acknowledged that her wording wrongly suggested Jewish people had been strangers to persecution and said she regretted diminishing that history.
Sarandon has continued to publicly advocate for Palestinians and criticise US support for Israel since then. At Venice, she argued that public understanding of the conflict had changed substantially since 2023, even as she claimed parts of the American entertainment industry remained unwilling to work with her. Her account of specific roles being withdrawn has not been independently substantiated, and she did not publicly identify the agencies she said were discouraging people from hiring her.
Some commenters argued that Sarandon should not lose work because of her views on Palestine, while others said the controversy surrounding her 2023 remarks could not simply be reduced to her political position. One Reddit user defending her called Hollywood an 'industry of thin-skinned clowns', arguing that she was effectively being punished for speaking out before attitudes shifted.
The Echo Chamber Offers a Different Picture
Sarandon is nevertheless continuing to work outside major Hollywood productions. She appeared at Venice for Andrea Pallaoro's The Echo Chamber, starring alongside Oscar winner Alicia Vikander and Luca Marinelli in the Italian-Belgian production. The film is competing for the Golden Lion at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
Sarandon thanked Pallaoro for casting her despite what she described as warnings surrounding her involvement. 'I found my family, I found my people and I'm OK,' she said at the press conference. She also thanked the director for not listening to warnings about working with her.
Sarandon plays singer Ava in the film, which grew out of Bernardo Bertolucci's final screenplay, co-written with Ilaria Bernardini and Ludovica Rampoldi. Venice's official credits list Bertolucci, Bernardini and Rampoldi as the film's screenwriters.
Her appearance at Venice reflects the contrast Sarandon drew between her reception in parts of the US film industry and internationally. Sarandon says professional opportunities have disappeared because of her activism, while she remains an internationally recognised performer whose career includes the 1996 Academy Award for Best Actress for Dead Man Walking. Nearly three years after UTA dropped her, Sarandon says the professional consequences continue, even as The Echo Chamber shows that her acting career remains active.
