LONDON: US actress Susan Sarandon has spoken out about being “blacklisted” by Hollywood following her comments at a pro-Palestine demonstration last year.
In an interview with The Times, the longtime activist, 78, said that she was dropped by her agency and had projects canceled following the New York City rally in November.
At the event, she told the crowd that a lot of people were “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,” The Independent reported.
Though she issued an apology following criticism over her words, Sarandon said that she had “been used as an example of what not to do if you want to continue to work.”
She added: “There are so many people out of work right now (since) November of last year … who have lost their jobs as custodians, as writers, as painters, as people working in the cafeteria, substitute teachers who have been fired because they tweeted something, or liked a tweet, or asked for a ceasefire.”
Sarandon’s agent also departed following the furore, she told The Times.
On whether she would ever be offered roles on big-budget films again, Sarandon said: “I don’t know. (Not) anything in Hollywood.”
Since the rally, the veteran actress has continued to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
In her apology over the rally remarks, Sarandon said: “I deeply regret diminishing this reality and hurting people with this comment.
“It was my intent to show solidarity to the struggle against bigotry of all kinds, and I am sorry I failed to do so.”
The UN’s Human Rights Office this week said that almost 70 percent of confirmed Palestinian deaths in Gaza were women and children.
It accused Israel of failing to “comply with the fundamental principles of humanitarian law.”
