Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon was dropped by the Hollywood talent agency UTA on Tuesday, less than a week after she gave a controversial speech at a pro-Palestine rally in New York City.
“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, so often subjected to violence,” said Sarandon, who starred in Dead Man Walking and most recently in Blue Beetle.
She continued, “It’s important to listen, it’s important to have facts. You don’t have to go through the entire history of that region, you just have to show the babies that are dying in incubators...Those images are enough to show you that something is drastically wrong.”
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Footage of her remarks went viral and ruffled feathers in Hollywood last week.
Citing sources, Page Six reported that “several staffers at UTA were extremely hurt” by Sarandon’s comment, and a spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that Sarandon was no longer represented by the agency.
Sarandon had been with UTA, which stands for United Talent Agency, since 2014. The talent agency is one of Hollywood’s largest and most prestigious, representing Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford, Charlize Theron, and others.
The actress, who turned 77 last month, had not addressed getting dumped by Tuesday afternoon on her social media channels, which she posts on nearly daily, especially since war broke out in the Middle East. She’s long been criticized for sharing controversial tweets, and is one of Hollywood’s most outspoken progressives, campaigning alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) in 2020.
Actress Susan Sarandon walks off a stage surrounded by supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) in 2020.
Reuters/Chris KeaneUTA did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Daily Beast, nor did representatives for Sarandon.
Sarandon has appeared frequently at pro-Palestine protests in New York City since war broke out between Israel and Hamas last month. On Nov. 10, she told fellow demonstrators that Israel was committing war crimes.
“You don’t have to be Palestinian to stand with the Palestinian people,” she said. “You don’t have to be Palestinian to understand that the slaughter of almost 5,000 children is unacceptable and a war crime.”
Prior to her latest activism, Sarandon appeared on the big screen twice this year—first with Maybe I Do in January, followed by Blue Beetle in August. Neither film lit up the box office, with the latter failing to even break even.
