Susan Sarandon: Agencies Still Telling People Not to Hire Me — SkimNews
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- Susan Sarandon said at the Venice Film Festival press conference for "The Echo Chamber" that she has "still had movies taken away recently" because agencies are telling people not to hire her over her Palestine advocacy.
- Sarandon was dropped by her agency UTA in 2023 after comments at a pro-Palestinian rally and said earlier this year she felt shunned by the industry for calling for a Gaza ceasefire.
- Sarandon said the narrative around Palestine has "completely changed," pointing to growing public awareness of US financial support to Israel and the historical ties between Zionists and American politics.
- "The Echo Chamber" is directed by Italian filmmaker Andrea Pallaoro, filmed in Italy and Belgium, and based on the final screenplay of the late Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Sarandon alongside Luca Marinelli and Alicia Vikander.
- Pallaoro was told not to work with Sarandon but did so anyway — a fact she highlighted as evidence that industry pressure against her extends internationally, not just within Hollywood.
- Sarandon said positions in her industry are "held by Zionists who have not relaxed their feelings towards me," but added that she has "found my family, found my people" and feels welcome internationally.
Why it matters: Sarandon's account that the blacklisting pressure extends to international productions — evidenced by her Italian director being warned off her — suggests the informal hiring pressure against pro-Palestine voices in Hollywood now reaches beyond US borders, while her claim that the public narrative has shifted points to a widening gap between industry gatekeepers and audience sentiment.
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