Susan Sarandon Dropped From Film After Apologizing For Controversial Comments At Pro-Palestine Rally

Actress and activist Susan Sarandon, 77, was dropped from a film project due to her remarks at the November 17 pro-Palestine rally in New York City.

PTO Films said in a statement that Sarandon would no longer appear in its short film, Slipping Away, due to her comments.

At the rally, Sarandon had said that American Jews were “getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country.”

Less than a week later, United Talent Agency dropped her as a client.

On Friday, Sarandon posted a statement to Instagram where she began, “Recently, I attended a rally alongside a diverse group of activists seeking to highlight the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza and call for a ceasefire. I had not planned to speak but was invited to take the stage and say a few words.”

She continued, “Intending to communicate my concern for an increase in hate crimes, I said that Jewish Americans, as the targets of rising antisemitic hate, ‘are getting a taste of what it is like to be Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence. This phrasing was a terrible mistake, as it implies that until recently Jews have been strangers to persecution, when the opposite is true.”

“As we all know, from centuries of oppression and genocide in Europe, to the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh, PA, Jews have long been familiar with discrimination and religious violence which continues to this day. 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.”

Sarandon concluded her statement, “I will continue my commitment to peace, truth, justice, and compassion for all people. I hope that we can meet with love and willingness to engage in dialogue, especially with those with whom we disagree.”

After Hamas’ attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 and saw 240 Israelis taken hostage, the Israeli government launched airstrikes on Gaza that have killed 14,800 so far.

ABC News reported in November that biased incidents directed at both Muslim and Jewish communities are on the rise. 

On November 9, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released a statement which said that in the month after the escalated violence between Israel and Hamas, “a wide variety of Americans, including public school and college students, doctors and other workers, protestors, and mosques” have submitted reports of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) announced on October 24 that incidents of antiseptic “harassment, vandalism and assault” had increased by 388% over the period between October 7 and October 23 in comparison to the prior year.

On Friday, a seven-day ceasefire between Hamas and Israel ended. In the ceasefire, Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7 were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.