Susan Sarandon Says She's Blacklisted and Being 'Used As An Example' After Pro-Palestine Comments
Susan Sarandon says she's being "used as an example" after comments she made at a pro-Palestine rally.
Last November, in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel, Sarandon spoke how now Jews in the U.S. are "getting a taste of how it feels to be Muslim in America, so often subjected to violence."
The 78-year-old later apologized for her comments in an Instagram post, calling them a "terrible mistake." The actress, who admitted she was also dropped from UTA, a top Hollywood talent agency, wrote: "This phrasing was a terrible mistake, as it implies that until recently Jews have been strangers to persecution, when the opposite is true."
Read more: TikToker Goes Viral Tearing Down Greek Flags Thinking They Were Pro-Israel: 'Oh S**t, My Bad'
Now, the Academy Award winner is detailing the backlash of her comments in an interview with 'The Times,' published on Sunday, November 10.
"My projects were pulled," she said. "I've been used as an example of what not to do if you want to continue to work."
The 'Stepmom' star added: "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."
"I don't know," she replied, when asked whether she thinks she'll be offered big-ticket films again. "[Not] anything in Hollywood."
Her upcoming movies include Tyler Perry's war drama 'The Six Triple Eight' starring Kerry Washington and Oprah Winfrey, which premieres in December on Netflix, and the comedy 'Nonnas' opposite Vince Vaughn, Lorraine Bracco, Linda Cardellini, and Drea de Matteo.
Sarandon isn't the only actress who felt the consequences of her actions.
Melissa Barrera was dropped from 'Scream 7' after she shared social media posts that accused Israel of genocide.
"Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp," she wrote on her Instagram Stories back in November 2023. "Cornering everyone together, with no where to go, no electricity no water ... People have learnt nothing from our histories. And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING."
She responded to the backlash with another Instagram Story, condemning "hate and prejudice of any kind" and vowed to continue speaking out for people in need.
"First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people," Barrera, 34, penned. "As a Latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore I have tried to use it to raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need."
