Susan Sarandon Says Film Roles Were Taken Away Because of Her Politics

Susan Sarandon says her political views are still having consequences for her career in Hollywood.

The 79-year-old Oscar-winning actress, who has previously claimed she was blacklisted after making pro-Palestinian remarks, was asked during the Venice Film Festival whether the “tides [are] changing” across the entertainment industry.

Sarandon said the shift depends on where the power lies. “In terms of the power structure. I’ve still had movies taken away recently, because there are agencies that are telling people not to hire me still. But that’s the power structure,” she said, according to People.

Still, the longtime Hollywood star suggested the broader conversation has moved in a different direction. “I think that the narrative has completely changed. There’s a lot of things that people are aware of now,” she said.

Speaking in Italy on Sunday, Sarandon added that she continues to feel supported outside the United States. “Certainly internationally, I feel welcome. So it depends. If it’s a major studio, I think there is, not just with me, but with other people… that have been told that that is impossible,” she said.

Sarandon is attending the prestigious Venice Film Festival to promote her latest project, The Echo Chamber, directed by Andrea Pallaoro.

Referencing the movie, she continued, ‘In terms of doing this film, I thank Andrea for that, because he didn’t listen to the warnings.

‘So I think, yes, there has been a change in terms of understanding of the situation, and I think the general public, but there are still very strongly held positions within my industry held by Zionists and [those] who have not relaxed their feelings towards me. But I found my family, I found my people, and I’m okay.’

Earlier this year, Sarandon spoke out about her alleged blacklisting from the industry over pro-Palestinian remarks she made amid Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza.

During a press conference in Barcelona, Spain in March, she recalled being dropped by her talent agency after she called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

‘I was fired by my agency specifically for marching and speaking out about Gaza – for asking for a ceasefire – and it became impossible for me to even be on television,’ she said ahead of the 40th Goya Awards.

‘I don’t know lately if it’s changed, [but] I couldn’t do any major film, anything connected with Hollywood,’ she shared.

Sarandon said that even foreign filmmakers were being urged not to work with her.

‘This Italian director that just hired me, he was told not to hire me,’ she noted. ‘So that’s still recently. He didn’t listen, but they had that conversation.’

The Rocky Horror Picture Show star claimed in late 2023 that Jewish people were ‘getting a taste of what it feels like to be Muslim’ amid the war with Hamas at a rally in New York City. 

She then apologized for her comment, explaining that she had not planned to speak at the rally, but was invited to address the crowd and intended to ‘highlight the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza.’

In an interview with The Times of London in late 2024, Sarandon reflected on how the controversy led to the departure of her agent and how she is no longer able to star in mainstream studio films.

She told the publication: ‘I was dropped by my agency, my projects were pulled. I’ve been used as an example of what not to do if you want to continue to work.

‘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 ceasefire.’

Asked if she would ever be offered a big film role again, she replied: ‘I don’t know. Not anything in Hollywood.’