Hollywood is not excluded from the war between Israel and Hamas, which has been going on for almost 50 days and a ceasefire appears to be in the offing. Although the city of stars has its own problems to deal with after two strikes that have rocked the industry and caused $6 billion in losses, some of its most prominent representatives are raising their voices for one side or the other. In a country that has explicitly supported Israel from the start, the more than 14,000 deaths in Gaza weigh more every day, and more and more personalities, media and institutions are beginning to raise their voices in favor of Israel. although their words are usually not well received. This is what happened to Susan Sarandon, whose talent agency decided to stop representing her after she raised her voice against the Jewish people.
The 77-year-old actress, known for her activism for decades, has been present at various protests in favor of the Palestinian people. On November 17, he took part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York, where he stated: “There are a lot of people who are afraid of being Jewish right now.” “They’re starting to feel what it feels like “To be Muslim in this country that is so often subject to violence.” He also noted at the march that many American Jews are afraid of the rise of anti-Semitism. He has also been sharing a series of pro-Palestinian messages on his Twitter account for weeks and almost daily (now in other media, with photos and explanatory graphics). He has also retweeted messages for ending violence written by the United Nations or Doctors Without Borders.
More information
Her words did not please her agency UTA, which has represented her since 2014 (before that, for a quarter of a century she was a client of ICM Partners, another renowned company in the sector), along with other renowned clients and actors, directors, models, authors, influencers, athletes and singers: Rosalía, Gisele Bündchen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Malala Yousafzai, Michael J. Fox, Greta Gerwig, Bad Bunny, Karol G, Jennifer Coolidge, Tilda Swinton… A spokesperson has confirmed that several American media specializing in entertainment have noted that Sarandon is effectively no longer their customer.
Last February, months before the conflict began, Sarandon – along with other names from the world of culture such as Viggo Mortensen, Marianne Faithful, Peter Gabriel and Ken Loach – was among the signatories of a letter of support to the mayor of Barcelona. Ada Colau, after her decision to break off diplomatic relations with Israel and end its sister city relationship with the city of Tel Aviv. “We commend the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, for her courageous decision to suspend institutional relations with Israel, including the partnership with Tel Aviv, until Palestinians can live in freedom, without military occupation and apartheid,” says the message. “Barcelona’s decision should inspire institutions around the world.”
Melissa Barrera at the world premiere of “Scream VI” in New York in March 2023. Evan Agostini (AP)
Sarandon, who won an Oscar in 1996 for “Capital Punishment” and was nominated four other times, is the second to last in a list of actors known for their support of Palestine. The most recent was Melissa Barrera, a 33-year-old Mexican actress who has taken part in a handful of projects in the United States, including several episodes of the Scream saga in which she starred. This Tuesday, shortly after Sarandon’s departure from UTA was announced, it was announced that Barrera was fired from Scream VII, in which she planned to take part but whose filming has not yet begun. I had been posting news for days about demonstrations and the enormous difficulties of living and surviving in Gaza over the past few weeks. “Right now Gaza is being treated like a big concentration camp… This is genocidal ethnic cleansing,” he wrote in several Instagram Stories, where he has 1.1 million followers. Barrera is one of the signatories of a letter in which hundreds of artists call on President Joe Biden to stop the bombings in the Strip, which was also signed by Sarandon herself, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, America Ferrera, Alfonso Cuarón, Jessica Chastain, Alyssa Milano, Kirsten Dunst, Rosario Dawson, Kristen Stewart, Sandra Oh, Milla Jovovich, Lupita Nyong’o, Annie Lennox, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo and Cynthia Nixon, among many others.
Hollywood actors are dealing with the conflict relatively quietly, and as they have been affected by the silence caused by the strike for months, they have limited themselves to tirelessly promoting their films as awards season approaches. However, other, less public areas of the industry, such as: B. Agencies, more divided and therefore more affected, are taking positions and making layoffs because they fear that taking positions could affect their image in the public eye and with the rest of their clients. Maha Dakhil, an actor’s agent with CAA, one of the most powerful in the industry, posted on her Instagram account: “What can break one’s heart more than witnessing a genocide?” Witness the denial of this genocide ?” Shortly thereafter, he resigned from the agency’s board and retained his position as representative, although some colleagues called for his chairmanship. As Variety reported, citing sources close to it, his main client came to the CAA offices to show his support: Tom Cruise.
All the culture that goes with it awaits you here.
Subscribe to
Babelia
The literary news analyzed by the best critics in our weekly newsletter
GET IT