Susan Sarandon Emotionally Laments ‘Censorship’ In America

Susan Sarandon’s career has not been the same since she publicly supported Gaza, and she is now sharing that she feels silenced. 

The “Dead Man Walking” actress saw her professional world shift dramatically, from losing agency representation to missing out on major roles and facing intense public backlash.

Although she later acknowledged that parts of her remarks were a mistake, Sarandon says that three years later, nothing has changed. She continues to feel restricted due to censorship in America. 

Ahead of the Spanish Film Academy’s Goya Awards ceremony, where she is set to be honored for her body of work, Sarandon reflected on how her activism reshaped her career.

“I was fired by my agency, specifically for marching and speaking out about Gaza, for asking for a ceasefire,” Sarandon said in a conference, as seen in a video on Instagram. “It became impossible for me to even be on television.”

Fighting back tears, Sarandon continued that she struggled to secure major roles or any roles at all in Hollywood.

With opportunities in the U.S. closed off, she found agents in Italy and England. There, she performed at London’s Old Vic and took on independent projects.

The “Little Women” actress added that the stigma persists. “I know this Italian director that [sic] just hired me, he was told not to hire me, so that’s still recent. He didn’t listen, but they had that conversation.” 

While pointing out that she now does small films with directors who are just starting, she compared the intellectual freedom in Italy to the U.S. She said, per Variety:

“In a place where you feel repression and censorship, to see Spain and to see the president and what he says and the support that he’s giving about Gaza, and to have actors like Javier Bardem come forward with such a strong voice, is so important to us in the United States.”

Sarandon’s latest revelations about her career struggles are not the first time she has addressed the backlash from her 2023 pro-Palestine rally speech.

According to The Blast, the 79-year-old actress faced immediate consequences after her remarks, including heavy criticism and the loss of her representation at United Talent Agency, led by CEO Jeremy Zimmer.

Sarandon, who had been with the agency since 2014, admitted at the time that her future in the industry felt highly uncertain.

Reflecting on the experience, Sarandon said she believes she was deliberately made an example within Hollywood, a warning to other actors about the potential cost of speaking out on politically sensitive issues.

Sarandon’s activism also led to indie production company PTO Films removing her from consideration for their short film “Slipping Away.”

As The Blast previously reported, the company’s co-founder, David Barroso, clarified the decision in a statement, noting that Sarandon’s “views do not reflect the opinions” of their organization.

Sarandon was set to play Dr. Sylvia Mansfield in the thriller, which follows a man with schizophrenia grappling with psychosis and his wife’s extramarital affair. The project had been listed on her IMDb page under “pre-production,” but has since been removed.

The Academy Award-winning actress’ fallout continued even after she quickly issued an apology for her comments, acknowledging the harm they caused.

At the rally, she had said that American Jews were “getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country.” She later clarified that it was never her intention to make such a comparison.