Susan Sarandon, Melissa Barrera cut from acting agency, movie franchise over pro-Palestine stances

Hollywood actors Susan Sarandon and Melissa Barrera have been axed from talent agencies and movies over their stances on Gaza, which has been battered by weeks of unprecedented Israeli bombardment.

Sarandon, who has long been loudly outspoken over her support for Palestine, was dropped by Hollywood’s United Talent Agency for seemingly making controversial remarks at a rally.

"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," said the 77-year-old Oscar-winning actress at one pro-Palestine rally.

"People are questioning, people are standing up, people are educating themselves, people are stepping away from brainwashing that started when they were kids," she said, as she thanked "the Jewish community who’s come out to have our backs."

She has actively spoken about Gaza since the war started on October 7, and has described Israel’s acts as "settler colonialism and ethnic cleansing."

Melissa Barrera who starred in the Scream movies has been cut from the horror franchise after expressing her support for Gaza online.

"Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp," the 33-year-old Mexican actress wrote in an Instagram story.

"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."

Barrera was accused of antisemitism by the company behind Scream, an accusation often used falsely to silence criticism of Israel.

"Spyglass’ 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," spokesperson for the company, Spyglass, said in a statement.

In an apparent response to her being sacked, Barrera posted on her Instagram story a quote which read: "At the end of the day, I'd rather be excluded for who I include, than be included for who I exclude."

Melissa Barrera’s post on social media after being dropped from ‘Scream’ for denouncing the genocide in Gaza:

“At the end of the day, I'd rather be excluded for who I include, than be included for who I exclude.” pic.twitter.com/4YDK8dW7eX

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 21, 2023

Barrera played lead character Sam Carpenter in Scream 5 and 6, released in 2022 and March this year respectively. The Scream storyline revolves around masked serial killers who reveal themselves and the motive behind their stabbing rampages at the end of the movie.

"The actress helped revitalize the franchise with Scream, the 2022 feature that earned $137.7 million globally and combined generations of cast members from the franchise,"according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"The 2023 movie topped $168.9 million at the global box office,"the Hollywood news platform added.

Barrera has posted frequently about the onslaught in Gaza and dire humanitarian conditions in the enclave of just over 2 million people.

More than half of the Gaza Strip’s population has been displaced by Israel’s aerial and ground campaign, and more than 14,000 have died, including thousands of children. On Wednesday, Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day truce that would see a mutual exchange of hostages and prisoners from both sides.

Many celebrities have often taken down posts or have been threatened with losing contracts after expressing solidarity with the Palestinians.

But while many remain reserved in fear of losing jobs, other actors and singers have been outspoken about their support for the Palestinians.