Sarandon says Hollywood’s Palestine divide still affects her career

Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon said that she continues to lose major film roles because of her public support for Palestine, despite what she described as a broader shift in how the Israel-Palestine conflict is viewed in the United States.

“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. I think within the people, certainly internationally, I feel welcome,” Sarandon said at a press conference at the Venice Film Festival, responding to a question from Deadline.

“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 in terms of being able to do this film.”

Sarandon was speaking at the festival in support of Andrea Pallaoro’s The Echo Chamber, a Golden Lion contender in which she stars alongside Luca Marinelli and Alicia Vikander.

“I thank Andrea for that because he didn’t listen to the warnings,” she said. “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 that are held by Zionists and who have not relaxed their feelings towards me, but I found my family, I found my people, and I’m okay.”

Sarandon, who was dropped by UTA in 2023 after attending pro-Palestinian rallies and making a controversial remark, has previously said her activism affected her career.

She also argued that public understanding of US-Israel relations has changed.

“I think that the narrative has completely changed in terms of the historical relevance of Palestine and the ties of Zionists with America and our politics, that has been a major revelation for people,” she said.

“How much money the United States gives to Israel? Nobody really understood that. And also, now we have voted to combine the army of the United States with the army of Israel. So there’s a lot of things that people are aware of now,” she said.

By Vafa Guliyeva