Susan Sarandon dropped by her agent and Melissa Barrera ousted from “Scream VII”, after controversial remarks

Susan Sarandon has spoken out at pro-Palestinian protests and Melissa Barrera on social media.

American actress Susan Sarandon was dropped by her agency United Talent Agency (UTA) for making controversial remarks during pro-Palestinian demonstrations in which she recently participated in the United States. According to the Israeli daily Haaretz (paid article)UTA reportedly severed ties with the Oscar-winning actress, explaining that her statements were “hurtful for agency employees”.

During one of these demonstrations, reports CNN, which took place on November 17, a video of the New York Post shows Susan Sarandon stating: “There are a lot of people who are afraid, who are afraid to be Jewish right now, and who have a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country”. Likewise, according to Deadline, the actress would have taken up on X (ex-Twitter) a pro-Palestinian message from Roger Waters, of the group Pink Floyd, “who has been criticized over the years for his anti-Semitic remarks”according to Deadline.

“Silence is not an option”

It was not her agency, but the production house of Mexican actress Melissa Barrera which decided to exclude her from the casting of Scream VII, of which she played the heroine until now, for comments on social networks also considered anti-Semitic. “Gaza is like a concentration camp,” wrote Melissa Barrera on Instagram, “everyone is gathered there, without electricity and without water, reports The Parisian. People have learned nothing from our history. People continue to observe quietly, on the sidelines. This is genocide and ethnic cleansing.”

“The position of Spyglass (producer of the film) is unequivocal: we have no tolerance for anti-Semitism or incitement to hatred in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, distortion of the Holocaust or any something else that blatantly crosses the line into hate speech”declared a representative of the production house cited by Deadline. The actress reacted on Instagram by indicating that she “condemned” anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. “I will continue to defend those who need it most and to advocate for peace.(…) Silence is not an option for me“, she concludes.

In October, also recalls the American magazine, Maha Dakhil, famous agent and co-head of the films department at the famous talent agency CAA, reportedly resigned from the agency’s board of directors after posting a story (ephemeral post) on Instagram. She stated:“You are learning who supports the genocide.” However, she was allowed to remain an agent, a divisive decision within the talent agency, according to Variety. According to the magazine, she received “the support of his main client, the actor and producer Tom Cruise. He would have come in person on November 15”. “A well-informed source, continues Variety, says he took the rare step of going in person to show support for his embattled agent.