Susan Sarandon`s sense of responsibility runs deep, whether it comes to the community, global politics or her profession. And currently, the actress is greatly concerned about a trend she sees on all fronts.
”There`s some kind of greed, or lack of belief in the future, that is resulting in certain modes of operation, of behavior, in society, and even in the film industry,” she said. ”There`s a stinginess of spirit that prevents people from extending their sense of responsibility to others and to the world.”
Sarandon long has spoken out on social and political issues that concern her, from nuclear disarmament to the current AIDS epidemic. But now she was expressing the view that greed and selfishness are reaching epidemic proportions, even in the film business. In particular, she was exorcized over what she called the ”eye-opening” experience of making her latest film,
”The Witches of Eastwick.”
In the film version of John Updike`s novel about modern-day witchcraft in a small, New England town, Sarandon plays Jane Spofford, a single, sexually frustrated cellist who, along with two other Eastwick women, inadvertently conjures up the devil, played in the film by Jack Nicholson, and then falls under his evil spell. Imbued with diabolical power, Sarandon`s character and those played in the film by Cher and Michelle Pfeiffer, set out on a destructive course that eventually leads them to turn away from evil ways.
”It gets by on pure entertainment, but somewhere in its little head I like to think it`s about the abuses of power, and about the importance of accepting the responsibility that comes with gaining power,” Sarandon said of the film recently while sipping Perrier in a Greenwich Village coffee shop.
”This is true of all of us, in any area of life.
”Just look at the way we`re choosing our government leaders,” she added, typically extending her thoughts to global issues. ”We`re used to inventing personalities and electing them to office to make our choices for us. But this isn`t the way we were founded; we are supposed to take responsibility.”
Sarandon made no claims that her latest film set out to convey such serious messages. And she said she wanted to be a part of the film project because she wanted to work with Nicholson, whom she called ”the brightest, most generous, funniest man I`ve ever met.” But in making the film she said she found a dismaying message about the lack of responsibility among movie industry people. ”In this sense, it was a valuable experience,” she said.
Sarandon was referring to the disruption caused at the outset of production on the Warner Brothers film, when she was inexplicably re-cast as Spofford, after having initially been cast in the role now played by Cher. She was unable to withdraw from the project, because of a contractual technicality, so she had to shift gears at the last minute.
”I`m pleased that we all got along and that the film turned out as well as it did,” said Sarandon, obviously ill at ease speaking negatively of the experience. ”But the experience affected me greatly, and in some ways has hardened me, and made me a different person.”
According to the actress, the role as written was incomplete, and important character elements, such as wardrobe and makeup, were
serendipitously created to accommodate the last-minute cast changes. ”And then, of course, I had to learn to play the cello!” exclaimed Sarandon.
”The positive side is that I could pretty much do what I wanted to do with the role, even if some of the time the character may seem like she`s going over the top,” she said, of what turned out to be a stand-out character in the film.
Sarandon, 39, has worked on stage and in films since her college years, but many of her films have been made independently and on a low budget, including Louis Malle`s 1981 film ”Atlantic City,” which earned her an Oscar nomination. And she suggested the other day that she may still be naive to some of the ways of the major Hollywood film studios.
”I think they (the studio executives) encourage people to be difficult,” she said, referring to the ”betrayal” she said she feels as a result of the ”Eastwick” cast change. ”I think we may be at a low point in terms of integrity, honesty, self-respect, and obviously they`re very patronizing toward the movie audience.”
A spokesman for Warner Brothers declined to comment last week on Sarandon`s statements.
”I`ve learned that a promise is not a promise, a person`s word is not a person`s word. There seems to be some advantage in taking advantage of others, some advantage to projecting a macho figure,” she continued, noting that the few women she has met in positions of power in Hollywood ”try to be with the guys, in order to maintain their positions.
”I feel we`re living in the kind of society where people will lie;
they`ll do anything, and if they get caught, the crime is that they didn`t get away with it.”
Sarandon, always plainspoken and coolly passionate, clearly was wounded by the experience on her latest film, but, as she said the other day, after taking a deep breath, ”it`s only a movie, there are people out there dying.” She recently completed shooting another major studio film, ”Sweethearts` Dance,” due for release later this year by Tri-Star, in which she and Don Johnson play ”an ordinary married couple going through a mid-life crisis.”
And although she plans to spend the summer in Italy with her 2-year-old daughter Eva and the child`s father, Italian director Franco Amurri, Sarandon said her recent experience has not dimmed her hopes for a long and fruitful film career.
She said she does turn down work on the basis of racist, sexist or violent elements. ”But at the same time, I can`t just sit around and wait for socially responsible films, some of which are really bad. I`m a working mom. It`s just that I`ve learned that I do have to be more aware of the business end of the business than I have been.
”Part of my responsibility is to continue to have the kind of healthy career that gains me visibility and access,” she said, referring to her various efforts as a concerned citizen. Quickly dismissing the suggestion that she might not be taken as seriously, because she is an actress, she added:
”If Ronald Reagan can be accepted as a responsible, informed leader, why not me? I`m certainly a better actor.
”It`s a matter of extending one`s sense of responsibility to others, and to the rest of the world,” explained Sarandon. ”It`s not altruism, it`s understanding that we really are all connected. We`re not isolated. We are the world. And understanding this is the basis of hope for the world.”
