“I’m certainly not in any way defending Trump, let me go on the record to say that, because people seem to want to say that I am,” Sarandon said in an interview with Vulture.
“I think he’s a horrible person, and he’s really dangerous,” she added. “But the good news about Trump is that he has exposed all the cracks that are in our system, and now the light can get in.”
“When you look at what happened with the deportation of people in this country, when you look at our policies in a lot of other areas, when you look at who has been in our government, money has been running our country for a long time, and this is not something new,” she said.
“Now we have a guy who is so clumsy and so obvious that suddenly people are awake, and that’s a very good thing. Do you want to call it the revolution? Certainly, there are many more people, because of Bernie Sanders, that are running for these local offices.”
She added that for the past eight years, the U.S. had a “cool guy president” and that Trump is bringing transparency to the table “because he’s so obvious.”
She suggested that progressives have to “do what the Tea Party did” and start building coalitions and placing candidates at the local level.
“The Democrats didn’t pay attention to the bottom; they didn’t pay attention to the country, and now the country is taking over,” she said. “There’s no progressive party anymore that represents the working people.”
She also noted the recent activity at the grassroots level. “When you see these town-hall meetings where people are going and holding their representatives responsible and demanding answers — that, to me, is a revolution; you’ve never seen that before. That’s a really, really healthy sign. And I have faith in this country. Traveling all around with Bernie made me love this country more and more. There are patriots everywhere who are kind and generous and accepting and inclusive. The heart of America is not what you hear from his mouth at all.”
Last March, Sarandon and Debra Messing feuded publicly on Twitter about the election. They went at it on Twitter after Sarandon, when asked how she’ll vote if Bernie Sanders doesn’t win the Democratic nomination over Hillary Clinton, said she is “going to see what happens.”
Jamie Lee Curtis ignited the feud, tweeting, “I respect but disagree with @SusanSarandon. A possible support of Trump over @HillaryClinton is dangerous 2 women, minorities and immigrants.”
Sarandon was quick to explain her comments, made on MSNBC, which many took as support for Donald Trump over Clinton.
“Of course I would never support Trump for any reason,” Sarandon responded. “If you watch the interview you’ll see that’s not what I said.”
Shortly after Sarandon’s response, Debra Messing entered the fray with not just one tweet, but a full-on assault via Twitter, calling the elder actress’ ideas “insane.”
About the feud, Sarandon now said, “I haven’t spoken to Debra, but I would certainly look forward to any opportunity to say hello.”
'Thelma & Louise' 25th Anniversary: 9 Things You Didn't Know About Classic Movie (Photos)
It was 25 years ago when Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis sped off in a 1966 Thunderbird and steered their way into the annals of movie history in "Thelma & Louise," directed by Ridley Scott.
The landmark 1991 film, which celebrates its silver anniversary on Tuesday, May 24, earned just one Academy Award, for Best Screenplay, and another five nominations.
The film also marked Brad Pitt's breakout role as a womanizing thief. There are a lot of surprising behind-the-scenes details about his memorable part, along with more facts about movie that you probably didn't know.
MGM
1. It Was Down to George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Clooney auditioned for the role of J.D. multiple times before it went to a relatively unknown actor named Brad Pitt. For years, Clooney couldn't bring himself to watch the film, joking in 2011 that he was still "upset" about it: "When I saw it, I thought actually that was the right choice. ... [Brad] was really good in it, and I would have f---ed it up somehow."
ABC/MGM
2. But the Role First Went to Billy Baldwin. Baldwin dropped out of "Thelma & Louise" to take a part in "Backdraft," leaving room for Pitt to eventually get cast.
Universal Pictures
3. Scott Sprayed Shirtless Pitt With Evian. "He did a lot with a very tiny role," recalled Sarandon in a 2014 interview. "His attitude, his swagger, his inventiveness -- everything was much more than just a pretty face and a great body."
But that body was fretted over by director Ridley Scott during Pitt's love scene with Geena Davis -- much more so than the actress herself. "Ridley's also very much into the look of things," said Davis in another 2014 interview. "He was personally spraying the Evian on Brad's stomach for the shots where you see his abs and I'm like, 'Hello!'"
MGM
4. There Was a Real-Life Re-Coupling. Thelma's rude and dimwitted husband Darryl was played by Christopher McDonald -- Davis' real-life ex. The actor, once engaged to Davis, called the experience "really cathartic" in a 1992 interview.
6. Davis Originally Wanted to Play Louise, not Thelma. After Sarandon got the role, Davis said she thought, "What was I thinking? How could I possibly play Louise?"
MGM
7. Davis Gunned for the Part. "I had my agent call Ridley every week for almost a year," Davis said in 2011. Once she landed a meeting, she recalled, "We had an hour's worth of notes on why I should play Louise." Of course, she was cast as Thelma.
MGM
8. That Famous Ending Isn't What You Think. "To me the end of the movie was never meant to be a literal," said writer Callie Khouri, who won an Oscar for the screenplay. "It was a way of saying that this was a world in which they didn't believe there was the possibility of justice for them. ... I never saw it as a suicide."
MGM
9. Davis "Earned the Right to Die." It was decided before filming that Louise (Sarandon) would definitely die at the end of the movie. But Thelma's fate wasn't as clear. "You may push her out of the car at the last minute,'" Sarandon remembered Scott telling her. "But I earned the right to die!" Davis added in the same 2014 interview.
MGM
1 of 10
How Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis and Brad Pitt got their roles — and more
It was 25 years ago when Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis sped off in a 1966 Thunderbird and steered their way into the annals of movie history in "Thelma & Louise," directed by Ridley Scott.
The landmark 1991 film, which celebrates its silver anniversary on Tuesday, May 24, earned just one Academy Award, for Best Screenplay, and another five nominations.
The film also marked Brad Pitt's breakout role as a womanizing thief. There are a lot of surprising behind-the-scenes details about his memorable part, along with more facts about movie that you probably didn't know.