Susan Sarandon said she has had “movies taken away recently” because of her vocal support for Palestine.
“The narrative has completely changed in terms of the historical relevance of Palestine, and the ties of Zionists with America and our politics,” said the US star, at the press conference for Andrea Pallaoro’s Venice Competition title The Echo Chamber. “That has been a major revelation for people, how much money the United States gives to Israel - nobody really understood that. And now we have voted to combine the army of the United States with the army of Israel. There are a lot of things that people are aware of now, so that has changed in terms of the power structure.”
“I have still had movies taken away recently because there are agencies telling people not to hire me still,” said Sarandon. She is one of several actors to have said they have lost work opportunities over their support, alongside Javier Bardem and Melissa Barrera. “Internationally, I feel welcome,” said Sarandon. “So it depends. If it’s a major studio, it’s not just with me, but other people have been told that it is impossible in terms of being able to do this film. I thank Andrea for that because he didn’t listen to the warnings.
“There has been a change in terms of understanding of the situation, and the general public,” said Sarandon. “There are still positions within my industry that are held by Zionists who have not relaxed their feelings towards me. But I found my family, I found my people, and I’m OK.”
Sarandon was dropped by her agency UTA in 2023 after attending rallies in support of Palestine. Earlier this year she said she felt she was being excluded by the US industry for her stance.
Directed by Italian filmmaker Pallaoro, The Echo Chamber is adapted from the last script written by Italian film icon Bernardo Bertolucci, before his death in 2018. The film is a story about love and dependency, set in a large London mansion flat.
Luca Marinelli stars as an Italian music producer living with his girlfriend (Alicia Vikander), with Sarandon as a singer who visits occasionally. Paradise City Sales handles sales on the film, which is an Italy-Belgium co-production.
“Inheriting the last screenplay of such a legendary voice implied a huge sense of responsibility on my part,” said Pallaoro. “I immediately understood that the way to honour his essence and the work they had done with Ludovica [Rampoldi] and Ilaria [Bernadini, co-writers with Pallaoro on the film] was that of trying to filter that through my own sensibility, my own vision. And somehow to protect the vision and sensibility of the huge artists who contributed to make this possible.”
Venice film festival runs until Saturday, September 12.
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