Susan Sarandon revealed that her support for Palestine has cost her roles in films and that part of the industry continues to shun her due to her activist stance. The 79-year-old American actress spoke at the Venice Film Festival about how her position on Israel's actions in Gaza has affected her work: "From the perspective of the power structures, I recently had several films taken away from me because there are agencies that still tell people not to hire me." The Oscar winner noted that despite losing roles, she believes that "the agenda has completely changed regarding the historical significance of Palestine and the ties of Zionists to America in our politics." She added: "For people, it has been a serious revelation — how much money the United States sends to Israel, no one really understood this." Recent polls show a noticeable decline in support for Israel in the U.S. since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in 2023. According to a July poll by the Pew Research Center, Americans' attitudes toward both the people of Israel and the Israeli government are becoming increasingly negative, while they now view Palestinians almost as favorably as Israelis. Sarandon participated in a press conference dedicated to her new film The Echo Chamber and thanked director Andrea Pallaoro for "not listening to the warnings" from those who opposed her continuing work in film. A Hollywood veteran, star of films such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Thelma & Louise, and Dead Man Walking, Sarandon remains one of the loudest voices in support of Palestine in Hollywood. Along with actors like Joaquin Phoenix, Javier Bardem, and Mark Ruffalo, she was dropped by the talent agency UTA in 2023 after comments she made at pro-Palestinian rallies a month after the Hamas attack on Israel. ## ## Actresses Fired 'for Supporting Palestine': Censorship in Hollywood? Her words resonate with growing concerns about unspoken "blacklists" in Hollywood and echo remarks by George Clooney, who defended Mark Ruffalo after accusations of anti-Semitism. Speaking at the Venice Film Festival, where he received the Golden Lion for career achievement, Clooney defended Ruffalo's right to criticize the proposed $111 billion merger of Warner Bros Discovery with Paramount. "I worry when a big company acquires another company," Clooney said. "I always worry when there is consolidation of large corporations because it means that a lot of people will lose their jobs." He continued: "I support Mark Ruffalo's right to speak freely. We are not going to silence speech. I believe in freedom of speech, even when I completely disagree with it. That's important, right? It's part of how democracy works." He added: "Tonight in this room, there will be people who will disagree with almost every word I say or what I stand for. And that's okay. That's how it should be. We should argue, discuss, and come to conclusions based on the information we receive... I will always support Mark Ruffalo's right to speak freely. I like him. He is a decent man." Ruffalo had previously expressed concern about the planned merger of studios and its potential consequences for Hollywood, as well as directed criticism at the family controlling Paramount. The company's CEO, David Ellison, is the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. Ruffalo accused the Ellison family of complicity in the "genocide" of Palestinians, stating that their wealth is "built on an apartheid system of oppression, fueled by Oracle." The actor pointed out Oracle's connections to the Israeli military, and his statements drew sharp backlash from Paramount, which accused him of using anti-Semitic clichés. Ruffalo rejected these accusations, and more than 170 Jewish cultural figures, scholars, and public figures soon signed an open letter in his support, warning against attempts to silence criticism of Israel or the proposed merger. The open letter titled "Enough!", which bears the signatures of Joel Cohen, Joaquin Phoenix, Ilana Glazer, Todd Haynes, Hannah Einbinder, and others, states: "We are Jewish artists, writers, creative industry workers, religious leaders, and thinkers, and in response to the outrageous campaign to vilify our respected colleague Mark Ruffalo, we want to convey a simple message to the world: enough!" "Enough of falsely and dangerously using accusations of anti-Semitism against those brave enough to point out the obvious: the attack on the Palestinian people and the assault on our freedoms at home are deeply interconnected, and there is nothing anti-Semitic about acknowledging this fact." The letter notes that the proposed merger of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery "will destroy thousands and thousands of jobs" and "further entrench oligarchic control over our media" as part of a "broader project of technologically driven domination." "Larry Ellison and his partners have never shied away from loudly declaring their goals — and have directly linked them to supporting the ongoing destructive actions against Palestinians and silencing the voices of critics of these horrors," the letter states. In conclusion, the authors of the letter declare that they "proudly stand with Mark Ruffalo and all decent people who bravely rise up and speak the truth to power."
