From going to pro-Palestine rally to backing presidential losers, Susan Sarandon is no stranger to controversy
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: United Talent Agency has dropped Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon as a client after her speech at a pro-Palestine rally, reported Deadline.
The actress, 77, has been to multiple such gatherings, and drew criticism for saying, "There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country.”
“People are questioning, people are standing up, people are educating themselves, people are stepping away from brainwashing that started when they were kids,” she said, encouraging others to “be strong, be patient, be clear, and stand with anybody who has the courage to speak out.”
Thanking “the Jewish community who’s come out to have our backs,” Sarandon went on to repost a pro-Palestinian message from Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters on X.
According to Guardian, Sarandon signed with UTA in 2014, and, most recently, appeared in the films ‘Blue Beetle’ and ‘Maybe I Do’ in 2023.
Susan Sarandon's progressive activism
Sarandon has stood by political causes that she believes in throughout her career.
She has donated to organizations such as EMILY's List, which helps elect Democratic female candidates in favor of abortion rights to office.
In 1983, the actress took part in a delegation to Nicaragua, and she was appointed the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1999.
At the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, in Turin, Italy, Sarandon was one of eight women selected to carry in the Olympic flag. The same year, she received the Action Against Hunger Humanitarian Award.
Sarandon was appointed an FAO Goodwill Ambassador in 2010, along with singer Celine Dion. In 2022, she became an ambassador for the largest humanitarian mine clearance NGO, HALO Trust.
Susan Sarandon's anti-war stance
The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 was opposed quite early in the conflict by Sarandon, who firmly stated her position much before others condemned the war too.
She took part in numerous protests and campaigns, and said that many Americans "do not want to risk their children or the children of Iraq."
Susan Sarandon's take on presidential politics
Since 2000, she has supported candidates failing to win their presidential bids multiple times, from Ralph Nader to John Edwards, and finally Bernie Sanders.
She ran into controversy when she called for US elections to be monitored by international entities after the 2004 election.
During an interview in 2016, Sarandon stated, “You know, some people feel that Donald Trump will bring the revolution immediately. If he gets in, then things will really explode."
When asked if Trump being president would be dangerous, she replied, "If you think that it's pragmatic to shore up the status quo right now, then you're not in touch with the status quo."
Calling Pope a 'Nazi' to getting arrested
In October 2011, Roman Catholic authorities complained against Sarandon for using the word 'Nazi' to describe Pope Benedict XVI.
Later on May 27, 2021, in a tweet supporting Palestine, Sarandon wrote that the people were "fighting against the apartheid government of Netanyahu," and of the Israeli people "that they too, will enjoy peace."
Protesting Donald Trump's migrant separation policy in a sit-in at the Hart Senate Office Building as a part of the Women Disobey movement, Sarandon was arrested along with 575 others on June 28, 2018.
Her latest take on the Israel-Hamas war, which led to the Hollywood talent agency dropping her took place on November 17, at Union Square.