The United Talent Agency (UTA), a well-known agency in the Hollywood talent representation industry, has ended its contract with Susan Sarandon following remarks she delivered during a pro-Palestinian rally in New York.
Melissa Barrera was fired from the cast of the upcoming thriller "Scream VII" after sharing pro-Palestinian statements on social media.
A UTA spokesperson, cited by several U.S. media outlets, confirmed that Sarandon was dropped but not did not elaborate on the decision.
The Oscar-winning actress attended several pro-Palestinian rallies and faced criticism for saying at a Nov. 17 rally in New York City: “There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country.”
She was among the Hollywood stars, including Joaquin Phoenix and Cate Blanchett, urging U.S. President Joe Biden to demand a cease-fire in Israel’s war against Hamas.
During the rally, Sarandon also said criticizing Israel should not be considered anti-Semitic.
“There’s a terrible thing that’s happened where antisemitism has been confused with speaking up against Israel,” she said. “I am against anti-Semitism. I am against Islamophobia.”
Barrera, 33, was fired Tuesday from "Scream VII" by production company Spyglass, according to a report in Variety.
The Industry Insider magazine cited company sources who said Barrera was removed due to her social media posts, including referring to Israel as a “colonized” land and saying that Israel controls the media.
“I, too, come from a colonized country. Palestine will be free,” she wrote in an Instagram post, which was viewed as “anti-Semitic.”
“Western media only shows the other (Israeli) side. Why do they do that? I will let you deduce for yourself,” she wrote in a separate Instagram story.
“Censorship is very real. Palestinians know this; they know the world has been trying to make them invisible for decades. Keep sharing,” she said.
Spyglass released a statement on Barrea’s removal and said its stance is “unequivocally clear.”
“We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion, or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech,” it said in a statement quoted by several U.S. media outlets.
Maha Dakhil, one of the top talent managers at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), has also come under pressure for pro-Palestine social media posts, which forced her to make her Instagram account private.
“What’s more heartbreaking than witnessing genocide? Witnessing the denial that genocide is happening,” she reportedly wrote on the platform that Meta owns
Variety reported that Dakhil later apologized and quoted her as saying she “made a mistake.”
