Two recent graduates of Catholic University in Washington DC, ventured to a casting call in New York after the 1968 Democratic convention, which had been disrupted by a group of young people. The audition was for a film that had several roles available for individuals with a similar background. Among those who attended the audition were Chris Sarandon and his wife Susan, who had just graduated from the university.
Susan Sarandon, who had a passion for acting, secured a major role in the film, which was titled Joe (1970). In the movie, she played the character of Susan Compton, the daughter of an ad executive named Bill Compton (Dennis Patrick). The story revolved around Bill, who kills his daughter's drug dealer boyfriend and subsequently befriends Joe (Peter Boyle),a bigoted man who worked on an assembly line and had a fascination with guns.
Five years after her debut in Joe, Sarandon appeared in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975),a cult classic in which she played the role of Janet. This film would go on to make her a household name. Over 15 years after starting her acting career, Sarandon actively campaigned for a significant role, which she finally achieved in Bull Durham (1988). She flew to Los Angeles from Rome at her own expense to audition for the part of Annie.
Sarandon's romance with Tim Robbins, a supporting actor in Bull Durham, had produced two sons by 1992. This led to her being in a position where she had to leave her domestic paradise to accept roles that truly challenged her. The result was four Academy Award nominations in the 1990s, including a best actress award for Dead Man Walking (1995). Her first Academy Award nomination was for Louis Malle's Atlantic City (1980).
