Cannes Jury Member Paul Laverty Speaks Out Against Hollywood’s Blacklisting of Susan Sarandon and Others
At the Cannes Film Festival, jury member Paul Laverty made headlines by criticizing Hollywood for blacklisting actors Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem, and Mark Ruffalo due to their pro-Gaza views. Laverty’s remarks came during a press conference, highlighting the pressure faced by industry figures who voice dissenting opinions.
Laverty praised the festival’s new poster for *Thelma & Louise*, which has faced backlash from the French gender-parity group Le Collectif 50/50 for “feminism washing,” noting that only five of the 22 films in competition are directed by women.
“Can I just say one tiny little thing, of course, and congratulate the Cannes Film Festival and the wonderful poster that they have? Absolutely, absolutely iconic. Quite brilliant,” Laverty stated.
He continued, “Isn’t it fascinating to see someone like Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem, Mark Ruffalo blacklisted because of their views in opposing the murder of women and children in Gaza? Shame on Hollywood people who do that! And then so my respect and total solidarity to them. They’re the best of us, and good luck to them.”
In a lighter moment, Laverty remarked, “And then I just thought, we don’t get bombed now because we’ve got this poster in Cannes. Thank you.”
#CannesFilmFestival jury member Paul Laverty calls out the film industry for blacklisting stars like Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo because of their “views and opposing the murder of women and children in Gaza”: “Shame on Hollywood.”
Laverty also acknowledges the… pic.twitter.com/re85UNDHFW
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Last year, as Cannes approached, more than 350 industry figures, including Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, signed an open letter condemning the silence surrounding the impacts of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
In February, Sarandon spoke at a press conference during the 40th Goya Awards, detailing her experiences of facing ostracism in Hollywood due to her pro-Gaza stance.
“I was fired by my agency, specifically for marching and speaking out about Gaza, for asking for a ceasefire, and it became impossible for me to even be on television. I don’t know lately if it’s changed, but I couldn’t do any major film, anything connected with Hollywood,” she stated.
At the beginning of the press conference, Laverty described the Cannes Film Festival as an “oasis for peace” amid global turmoil.
“Especially in these times now, in these really dark times…you see so much violence and systematic violence, genocide in Gaza; the idea of coming to a festival, which is a celebration of diversity, imagination, tenderness,” he said.
The Cannes jury, led by Park Chan-Wook, also includes prominent figures such as Demi Moore, Ruth Negga, Chloe Zhao, Stellan Skarsgard, Belgian filmmaker Laura Wandel, Chilean filmmaker Diego Cespedes, and actor Isaach de Bankole.
