Susan Sarandon says that fear can be a good motivating factor because that means a movie will present her with a challenge; a practice she has successfully put to the test for nearly five decades.
The award-winning actress’s dozens of diverse movies include The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Thelma & Louise, Dead Man Walking (for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress), Stepmom, and The Lovely Bones.
Currently, she is starring in two rather dark movies, Blackbird, about a terminally ill mother (Sarandon) who arranges to bring her family together one last time before she dies. The movie, which shows how she grapples with ALS, also stars Kate Winslet and Mia Wasikowska, as her two daughters.
The other movie taking her to a rather dark place is The Death & Life of John F. Donovan, co-starring Natalie Portman, Kit Harrington, Kathy Bates, Jacob Tremblay, and Thandie Newton.
The drama co-written, co-produced and directed by Xavier Dolan is about a young actor who reminisces about the letters he shared with an American TV star and the impact those letters had on both of their lives. It takes place a decade after the actor’s death and Sarandon plays the title character’s mother.
The movie, which tackles the themes of celebrity, the tabloid media in Hollywood, and mother-son relationships, had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018 and was recently released around the nation.
Related: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Susan Sarandon
“Engagement with the world and connection with other people is everything,” Sarandon exclusively told Parade.com. “I think it’s really important to be kind, to be authentic, and to take care of other people”
Many of your films have touched upon the theme of women’s empowerment. Do you have some advice on how we can empower our daughters and future generations?
I’ve lasted a long time and I’ve been pretty honest about who I am. I’m pretty humble in that I feel like I’m still learning. Whether that means giving a voice to people who don’t have one. I think the only way to live is to understand that tribes are everything and that you are more connected to the world through love and through reaching out and respecting people that are different. For me, it’s all about helping to pull people up that have been less lucky than you and who have entered into a system that has not been on their side from the very beginning.
How does that look in your life?
Sometimes I just ask myself if the situation I am in now is really going to matter on my death bed? I think sometimes you have to take things less seriously. I just had all my wisdom teeth out so I’m not feeling very wise at the moment. [She joked].
Rekated: Happy Birthday, Susan Sarandon! 10 of Her Most Inspiring Quotes
What is your process of picking film roles?
It’s about putting myself in a situation that frightens me because I think basically I might be kind of lazy. So, if I’m really frightened then I pay better attention. Whenever I work I’m always terrified for at least the first couple of weeks, which my kids pointed out is really a problem if I’m only on the set for a couple of weeks.”
What attracted you to The Death and Life of John F. Donovan?
I was very impressed with Mommy, the director’s film. Then he came to New York and met with me. I really liked him and I was impressed by the other people who were going to be in it. I thought he had very good taste. It was a very personal film for him, which I think all of his films are. I love working in Montreal, which was where it was going to be shot. And why not? It seemed like it would be fun. It has a lot of social commentary in it, so there’s something that you can talk about for a while, which is always important.
Related: Susan Sarandon’s Beauty Advice: ‘Get Off Your Diets!’
Do you think it brings up the whole discussion of fame and success and that may be making money or having your name on a marquee isn’t the best way to get a happy life?
Well, I don’t necessarily know what the way to get a happy life is, but I think that the movie is about all of that, and it’s also about the power of the press that makes it sometimes hard for you to be authentically who you are. And definitely the complications that having a famous person in the family bring, depending on your level of security in who you are.
How does this relate to this movie?
I think to have a famous son, especially if you’re an alcoholic insecure mother, is definitely something that on one hand brings you the importance and on the other hand brings you scrutiny, insecurity, and anxiety. I think oftentimes when someone has a child that is closeted, for some reason, usually, it’s not especially a shock to the mother. But I think often parents worry about the safety of their child and the safety of their job the security of their job. So, that also comes into play.
Talk about this movie and Blackbird that both touch on difficult subjects of suicide and euthanasia and things that a lot of people don’t want to talk about. Why were these movies right at this point in time?
Well, any time a project comes to me, except for a project like Dead Man Walking, which I found the book and brought it to Tim Robbins, I look at who is involved and whether or not it’s something I’ve done before, whether it’s challenging, and why it would be challenging. And if it’s a great opportunity to examine what it’s like to be a person in a different situation than the one I’m in. It’s kind of like compulsory empathy and a chance to identify with somebody that has a situation completely different than your own and to work with people to develop a collaboration.
Related: Sophie Turner on Game of Thrones Cast Pay Gap: Kit Harrington Deserves Higher Pay
What else is involved?
Well, it’s important that whatever story I am doing, that I’m doing it with people that I think are fun, interesting and professional. I also enjoy being challenged. I like to go into tough situations and find films that are tricky. I learned a lot about ALS doing Blackbird, and I worked with an amazing group of people in a lovely town on the water in England during October and November and so I loved the experience of making that movie. For The Death & Life of John F. Donovan, I enjoyed being in Montreal and working with [Xavier] the director, as well as Kit [Harrington], who I had most of my scenes with and was just lovely.
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan is in theaters, on digital, and on-demand
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December 21, 2019 at 03:03AM
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Susan Sarandon’s Sage Advice on Living a Happy Life: “Be Kind, Be Authentic, and Take Care of Other People” - Parade
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