Susan Sarandon Claims Roles 'Dried Up'
Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon says her Hollywood roles have "dried up" after she made outspoken comments in support of Gaza. Her claim adds to a growing debate about the professional consequences of political speech within the entertainment industry and whether its stated tolerance is often performative.
The professional fallout for Sarandon began in November 2023, when she was dropped by the United Talent Agency (UTA) after speaking at a pro-Palestinian rally. At the event, she said that American Jews were "getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country." Sarandon later apologized for this phrasing, calling it a "terrible mistake" that implied Jewish people were strangers to persecution. Sarandon's experience is part of a larger trend of industry figures facing professional consequences for their stances on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Actress Melissa Barrera was fired from the film *Scream VII* in November 2023 by production company Spyglass Media Group after social media posts in which she described the situation in Gaza as "genocide and ethnic cleansing." The controversy also extended to top talent agents. Maha Dakhil, a co-head of motion pictures at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) with clients like Tom Cruise, resigned from the agency's board and stepped away from her leadership role after reposting an Instagram story that read, "You're currently learning who supports genocide." Acclaimed screenwriter Aaron Sorkin subsequently dropped Dakhil as his agent. These incidents have fueled a debate over an alleged "blacklist" in Hollywood for those who support Palestinian causes. Actors and artists have reported being dropped from projects or facing difficulties finding work after making pro-Palestinian statements. In response, hundreds of members of the actors' union SAG-AFTRA, including Mark Ruffalo and Cynthia Nixon, have called on their leadership to protect members from being blacklisted for their political views on Palestine. The firing of Melissa Barrera had a significant cascading effect on the *Scream* franchise. Her co-star, Jenna Ortega, also exited *Scream VII* shortly after, and the film's director, Christopher Landon, departed, stating the movie he signed on to make was no longer possible. This led to a complete creative overhaul, with franchise creator Kevin Williamson returning to direct and co-write a new script. Sarandon has since stated that in addition to being dropped by her agency, her manager also severed ties and several projects were canceled. She claims she has been "used as an example of what not to do" and now primarily finds work on small independent films in Europe.
