It was the 1960s in Washington, D.C., and the Vietnam War was running rampant. Susan Sarandon, a college student at the time, had just attended her first anti-war protest, sparking a lifetime of political activism and standing up for her beliefs.

Sarandon vehemently hated war and was very outspoken about it, also protesting the 2003 invasion of Iraq after she was well into her career. She made a name for herself not only in film, but also as a prominent figure in social and political activism. She even often intertwines the two. 

Some of her most iconic roles are, in and of themselves, political. In films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Thelma and Louise, and Dead Man Walking, Sarandon has defied the status quo and refused to stay silent in the face of public scrutiny. Many say actors shouldn’t get involved in politics, and to that Sarandon said, watch this.

Susan Sarandon has been vocal about presidential elections, urging people to vote and backing certain candidates. However, she also was not afraid to criticize those she supports. All before 2010, she fought against Hollywood’s portrayal of homosexuality, served on the advisory committee for the activist group 2004 Racism Watch, and advocated to end the death penalty and mass incarceration.

Sarandon hasn’t been afraid to make waves and stand up for her beliefs. Even today, at age seventy-nine, she continues to get out there and protest for what she believes in. Most recently, she was even detained while protesting Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrival in New York City on September 24, 2026. That, however, is not the first time she’s been arrested for protesting. Police detained her once in 1982 during a civil disobedience protest, in 1999 for protesting the police shooting of unarmed Amadou Diallo, in 2018 during a sit-in protesting the Trump administration’s immigration and border policies, and once again in 2023 while advocating for an increase in the minimum wage.

Though Susan Sarandon has had many career-defining roles, no role defines her like her political activism. Some of this has been actively detrimental to her career, causing her to be dropped from her agency and essentially become blacklisted after speaking out in support of Palestine.

I think public figures should get involved in politics; they should fight for what they believe in, and urge their audience to do the same. If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything. It’s imperative to question those in charge and stand up not only for yourself, but for your peers, your friends, your children, and our future.