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Susan Sarandon
By : Celeste Rodas de Juárez
This powerful actress prefers to reveal what she’s made of rather than her body; to be appreciated for her talent more than her beauty; and when it comes time to speak, to promote just causes instead of a personal agenda. She’d rather live her life than simply talk about it. That’s why one of her greatest luxuries is being able to organize her work schedule around her family. Susan Sarandon is a living testimony that one can remain in Hollywood’s bright lights without losing sight of the importance of family.
Her 1995 Oscar for Dead Man Walking and her roles in The Witches of Eastwick, Thelma and Louise, Lorenzo’s Oil and The Client have won her a place among Hollywood’s elite. Despite Hollywood’s lack of roles for older actresses, she continues to receive steady offers, breaking Tinsel Town’s unwritten rule. This year, we’ll see her in Shall We Dance? costarring with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez.
It’s been said that you are very picky about the roles you accept. What did the Shall We Dance? script have that convinced you to accept the role?
The script had two things that fascinated me. One was the scene in which the characters analyze why people in love stay together in spite of the problems they’re facing. It is because people want to have a witness of their lives, someone who’s there to see exactly who they were. I loved that! It was a really moving scene.
The other thing I really liked about it was a scene that required me to do something totally unexpected: to sing a cappella! Although I’m not sure if the scene made the cut because, as you know, much of what we shoot has to pass through editing. It was a scene in which I had to stand in the middle of a party and sing out loud. That’s something that I’d never done before and it really interested me.
The plot itself is very timely, since there are more and more long-term marriages that are succumbing to the effects of a daily routine.
Right, but in Shall We Dance?, my character is very happy with her marriage. She believes that everything is perfect. The person really affected by the routine is her husband, who ends up hurting her. She’s so busy running the household, taking care of the kids and pampering him that she hasn’t had time to get bored!
Do you believe the men are the ones who usually give up when facing the difficulties of maintaining a marriage?
I’ve always said that women are more capable of multitasking. We have to be mothers, run the household, develop ourselves culturally, be good wives… the busier we are, the happier we are.
After 16 years of living with fellow actor Tim Robbins, you seem to have already faced and overcome this challenge. How did you manage it?
I am truly a superstitious person. Which is why whenever I am asked to comment on how Tim and I maintain such a good relationship, I prefer not to expound on it. I kind of sense that the moment I say ‘yes, it’s such a wonderful relationship,’ then the next day it might not be so wonderful or everything could fall apart. What I can say is that when a couple lives together, they will go through both good and bad times. No one has a perfect relationship. What we try to do is face these good and bad times with common sense and make good decisions. But I’d prefer not to expound further in what I consider to be my private life.
Could you share which values you consider most important to pass on to your kids?
I’d really like my children to appreciate diversity. Fortunately, they have already been going to school with other children whose native languages are not English, kids who’ve not had the same cultural and spiritual backgrounds. That pleases me a lot because they’ve already learned to appreciate these differences without fear. Because of this, when they’re older and travel around the world, they’ll be confident and not afraid. I think this is the best gift that I’ve been able to give them: that they’ll realize these differences are what make the world a better place to live in.
Is that the reason you support so many causes that promote ethnic, cultural and social diversity?
Above all, I believe it’s because there’s a time when you begin to be aware of your responsibility to the world you live in and begin to think about ways in which to express this. You learn to be responsible for your actions and how they affect others.
That’s what fame has done for me: it’s given me the ability to help others. If I’m asked to do something to support a cultural cause or help so that someone or a certain situation can be improved or be given a better chance, or so that more people become aware of the situation, then I’ll do all that I can. Sadly, we live in a world in which the media promotes very strict stereotypes of how one should act or be, such as in sexual preference, and it shouldn’t be like that. You really can’t remain on the sidelines.
I have seen or read something about this. For example, when injustices have occurred in your city, you have actively participated in civil demonstrations…
New York is a very diverse city. After many years of supporting social causes, it’s become clear to me that many people don’t have a voice. The established system simply doesn’t represent them. It’s only right that those of us who do have a voice try to draw attention to some of the problems that can easily be overlooked.
The Oscars in the Bathroom
Before you won an Oscar, you’d been nominated four times. While you were waiting for the winners to be announced, could you really actually pay attention?
(Laughing) It’s a really long show. And it’s even more so when you’re nominated for a category that won’t be announced until almost the very end. Curiously, Richard Gere was the one who accompanied me the first time I was nominated. We arrived late and couldn’t sit in our reserved spots. I think my blood sugar was low, and since the show is broadcast live, I couldn’t get up to drink anything. Richard spoke to me the whole time, I think in order to distract me and help me not be nervous. When at last the moment came to announce the winners, I believe I had almost even forgotten why I was there (laughing again). Definitely the show is much more entertaining when you’ve not been nominated. At least you can enjoy it more.
Is it true that you have your Oscar and the one that Tim Robbins won (for Mystic River) in the bathroom?
Yes, they’re both in the guest bathroom. I don’t even remember how that got started. Perhaps we didn’t have any other place in the house. It never occurred to us to build a room that would be known as “The Awards Room.”
Finally, among so many awards and privileges that you’ve been blessed with, could you tell us which has taught you the most?
I believe that one of the best lessons that I’ve learned is that people are essentially good. They have a conscience and we must make a bigger effort to discover what we have in common. We are not alone, and more and more I’m in contact with people who are fighting for just causes, people who are generous and noble. It makes me realize that the world can definitely become better. If there’s anything that I’ve learned, it’s that when people are informed, they will make the right decision. That’s the reason that we need to be well informed in every aspect.
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