Hollywood comes hard on actors having pro-Palestine views

NEW YORK: Hollywood companies have dropped Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon and another star Melissa Barrera over their pro-Palestine views and for opposing Israel’s deadly bombardment on Palestinians in besieged Gaza Strip, according to US media reports.

The United Talent Agency dropped Ms. Sarandon after she made remarks at a rally in New York last week, said a spokesperson for the firm, who did not elaborate on the decision.

Ms. Sarandon, a prolific political activist known for her left-wing views, received criticism after she said at a pro-Palestinian rally Friday that people who are “afraid of being Jewish at this time” are “getting a taste of what it feels like to be Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence.”

The remarks were recorded in a video published by the New York Post. The tabloid reported that Ms. Sarandon called for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, which has been under siege and bombardment by Israeli forces since Oct. 7.

The comments attracted attention on social media. Aviva Klompas, a former speechwriter for Israel’s Mission at the United Nations, tweeted that she believed Ms. Sarandon was “saying that American Jews have it coming — that we don’t deserve to live free from harassment and assault.”

In other comments at the rally, Ms. Sarandon said criticism of Israel should not be conflated with antisemitism. “There’s a terrible thing that’s happened where antisemitism has been confused with speaking up against Israel,” she said, according to The New York Times.

“I am against antisemitism. I am against Islamophobia,” she went on to say.

In a separate development, Spyglass Media Group confirmed that it had dropped Ms. Barrera, an up-and-coming actor, from the “Scream” horror series after a series of Instagram posts reportedly condemned Israel in strong terms.

Writing in one post, she reportedly said, “Western media only shows the [Israeli] side. Why do they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself.” (NBC News has not seen the posts; Variety reported on them.)
In a statement posted on social media Wednesday, Ms. Barrera said she would continue to speak out when she felt compelled.

“First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people. … Every person on this earth — regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status — deserves equal human rights, dignity, and, of course, freedom,” she wrote.

In her remarks, Ms. Sarandon, the six-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee, also said, “People are questioning, people are standing up, people are educating themselves, people are stepping away from brainwashing that started when they were kids.”

According to the Gaza-based health ministry, more than 14,000 Palestinians, including at least 5,600 children, have been killed and more than 33,000 others injured in the Israeli strikes since October 7.

Tel Aviv has also imposed a “complete siege” on Gaza, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

Ms. Sarandon encouraged attendees to “be strong, be patient, be clear and stand with anybody who has the courage to speak out” and thanked “the Jewish community who’s come out to have our backs.”