Susan Sarandon says her support for Palestinians is still costing her film work.
The 79-year-old actress told reporters at the Venice Film Festival on September 6 that she has recently had movies taken away and that some agencies are still telling people not to hire her. She made the comments while promoting Andrea Pallaoro’s The Echo Chamber.
Sarandon did not identify the agencies, studios or films involved. She said major studio work remains difficult for her and claimed other performers have faced similar resistance over their political positions.
She thanked Pallaoro for casting her in The Echo Chamber, saying he “didn’t listen to the warnings.” The Italian-Belgian drama is competing for the Golden Lion at Venice.
Sarandon Says Agencies Are Still Telling People Not to Hire Her
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“I’ve still had movies taken away recently, because there are agencies that are telling people not to hire me still,” Sarandon said, according to Variety.
When asked about major studios, Sarandon said she believes other people have also been told that certain jobs are unavailable because of their political positions. She did not identify anyone else who had lost a specific role.
Sarandon said she feels more welcome outside the United States. “I found my family, I found my people and I’m OK,” she told reporters as the press conference audience applauded.
She said she believes public attitudes toward Palestinians and U.S. support for Israel have changed since 2023, while resistance to hiring her remains strong within parts of the film industry.
UTA Dropped Her After Her 2023 Rally Comments
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UTA dropped Sarandon as a client in November 2023 after comments she made at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York. She spoke about Jewish Americans facing increased fear amid rising antisemitism and compared that experience with violence and discrimination faced by Muslims in the United States.
Sarandon apologized the following month. In an Instagram statement, she called her phrasing a “terrible mistake” and said it wrongly suggested that Jewish people had not already endured centuries of persecution, discrimination and religious violence. PEOPLE reported that her apology came after UTA ended its relationship with her.
She has continued speaking publicly in support of Palestinians. At Venice, Sarandon again connected the reduction in Hollywood opportunities she says she has experienced with those political positions.
‘The Echo Chamber’ Is Competing for the Golden Lion
The Echo Chamber stars Sarandon alongside Luca Marinelli and Alicia Vikander. The Venice Film Festival lists the 123 minute film in its main competition, with Pallaoro directing.
Sarandon plays singer Ava May. The screenplay is credited to Bernardo Bertolucci, Ilaria Bernardini and Ludovica Rampoldi and grew out of the final screenplay Bertolucci worked on before his death in 2018.
Indigo Film produced the movie with Rai Cinema as an Italian-Belgian coproduction with Versus Production. It opens in Italian theaters on September 10, two days before Venice announces the Golden Lion winner.