Susan Sarandon says a lot of Harvey Weinstein's enablers are still in Hollywood
After Mira Sorvino reflected on being blacklisted by Harvey Weinstein, Susan Sarandon says "cleanup" still needs to happen
In 2024, the results of the #MeToo movement are a mixed bag. There were positive changes, particularly in that a decades-long culture of silence was disrupted. But in the years since, Time’s Up has fallen apart and what true accountability looks like is still often a subject of debate. No wonder, then, that Susan Sarandon—one of Hollywood’s most outspoken activists—thinks the entertainment industry still has more work to do.
Sarandon’s comments at ’90s Con came after Mira Sorvino reflected on coming forward about being harassed by Harvey Weinstein (via People). “For a time, I had a lot of wonderful offers and then, my career was stifled by Harvey Weinstein. So, I stopped doing [major] studio movies after 1998,” Sorvino said, a year when she “rejected him the third time.” She added, “I stopped being a viable movie actress. I still did indies and I still did television, but that was very hard.”
“I don’t think we’ve done the cleanup afterwards that we should be doing,” Sarandon said in response. “I don’t think people talk enough about the people who facilitated the Harvey Weinsteins of the world that are still functioning that are equally responsible.” Sarandon observed that there are still industry power players who “knew when they were sending people to a hotel, who didn’t pay attention when someone complained.”
“Sexualization is like a mainstay of this business. So it’s very confusing to be, you know, a young girl and know that they’re checking on your viability, according to how sexy you are. You know that right? You do know that there’s something going on,” the Thelma & Louise star said. “They call it a chemistry thing or whatever they want to call it. But that is part of what you’re bringing to the table. Whether you like that or not, that exists. There was this big flourish of this whole thing and then Harvey Weinstein, thank God was punished against all odds. But I don’t think we’ve done the cleanup afterwards that we should be doing.”