Oscar-winning American actress Susan Saradon, known for her iconic roles in Thelma & Louis, Little Women, and other movies has been let go by her talent agency UTA after her speech at a pro-Palestine rally on Friday. Saradon wasn’t the only actress to get disbarred this week– Mexican actress Melissa Barrera has been dropped by the production company Spyglass from starring roles in the upcoming Scream 7 due to several social media posts that spoke out against the atrocities caused by Israel by way of her Instagram Stories, which were deemed “anti-semitic.” Barrera, who also starred in Scream 6, was also replaced by Maria Bakalova in the upcoming film God’s Country, which begins filming next year.
Barrera, who was lined up to play the lead role in the upcoming film, expressed in a social media post, “Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp. Cornering everyone together, with nowhere to go, no electricity, no water … People have learnt nothing from our histories. And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING.”
In another post, the 33-year-old wrote: “As we all wake up to what is (and has been) happening in Gaza and see it for what it is, it is very important to also understand: Just like all Palestinians are NOT Hamas, All Jewish people are NOT the Israeli Govt. Do not blame, or hate on, a whole group of people because of what some are doing. I stand with all those caught in the crossfire. I pray for freedom and peace for you and your families.”
According to Variety, it was one post in specific that “floated an antisemitic trope that Jews control the media” that got the Mexican actress fired. She wrote in an Instagram Story: “Western media only shows the [Israeli] side. Why do they do that? I will let you deduce for yourself.”
In a statement issued by a Spyglass spokesperson to the publication, “Spyglass’s stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism 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.”
Despite being fired from jobs and seemingly blacklisted by the industry, the actress stands on her morals regardless of attempts to silence her, continuing to post in support of Palestine on her Instagram Stories– “At the end of the day, I’d rather be excluded for who I include, than be included for who I exclude,” read a post she shared.
Meanwhile, Saradon attended several rallies in support of Palestine and drew criticism for saying, “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 went on to say, “People are questioning, people are standing up, people are educating themselves, people are stepping away from brainwashing that started when they were kids.” She encouraged attendees to “be strong, be patient, be clear, and stand with anybody who has the courage to speak out”.
The actress has also come under scrutiny for sharing pro-Palestine posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, including by Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters, who has been very vocal about his stance against the ongoing genocide.
Interestingly, actor Noah Schnapp and comedian Amy Schumer have faced virtually no consequences to their careers for their blatantly Islamophobic and racist rhetoric online.
