Susan Sarandon Says She's Still Losing Work Over Palestine Stance, Speaking at Venice
Susan Sarandon told a Venice Film Festival press conference on Sunday that she is still losing film roles over her outspoken support for Palestine, and that agencies are actively discouraging directors from hiring her.
Speaking at the press conference for her new film The Echo Chamber, Sarandon said movies have been taken away from her recently and that "agencies are still telling people not to hire her," attributing the resistance to what she called the power structure in the industry, according to Variety.
Sarandon said director Andrea Pallaoro was warned not to work with her but did so anyway. Pallaoro's The Echo Chamber — a romantic drama also starring Luca Marinelli and Alicia Vikander — was filmed in Italy and Belgium. The screenplay is the final work of Bernardo Bertolucci, the late Italian director whose credits include Last Tango in Paris and The Last Emperor. The film screens as part of the official selection of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, which runs sections including the main Venezia 83 Competition and Orizzonti, as listed on the festival's site.
This is not the first time Sarandon has spoken about professional consequences tied to her political positions. In 2023, she was dropped by her talent agency UTA after comments she made at a pro-Palestinian rally. Earlier in 2026, she said she felt she had been shunned by the industry for calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
On Sunday, Sarandon also said she believes "the narrative has completely changed" on the historical relevance of Palestine and on the ties between Zionists and American politics. She said there are still positions in her industry held by Zionists who have not relaxed their feelings towards her.
For Sarandon, the Venice press conference was a platform to put that account on the record at one of the world's most prominent film festivals, seated next to the director who chose to work with her regardless. For the industry, her remarks keep a question alive that has shadowed casting decisions since late 2023: where the line falls between a performer's political speech and their employability, and who gets to draw it.
