When asked to write a book about a film star, I didn't take much time thinking about it before choosing Susan Sarandon as my subject. Mentioning Sarandon's name in almost any conversation will perk things up considerably. People have differing opinions about her unconventional lifestyle, her political beliefs, her many causes and her movies. Because of her memorable performances in such outstanding films as Atlantic City, Thelma & Louise, Dead Man Walking, Bull Durham, Moonlight Mile and Lorenzo's Oil, she's become an American icon with influence throughout the world.

Nevertheless, I didn't want to do a biography, opting instead to present impressions of Sarandon's achievements and values from a film critic's perspective. Why did she choose acting as a career? What is her acting philosophy? How does she select roles? What motivates her to promote certain causes and why do some people object to this? How do critics rate her work and her movies?

While writing SUSAN SARANDON: A TRUE MAVERICK (Hats Off Books), I tried to find answers to those questions and more. It was quite an adventure -- I cried, laughed, lost sleep, burned up the phone lines, scoured the Internet and read everything I could find about Sarandon. Looking unsuccessfully for an annotated filmography of Sarandon's movies, I ended up compiling one myself. Fortunately, I had better luck with a wonderful group of film critics who gave me permission to include their reviews of Sarandon's key movies and/or their quotes about her. And, through the good offices of Joanna Ney, New York film critic Nathaniel Rogers was able to cover the Lincoln Center Film Society's Tribute to Sarandon for me. Also, having  interviewed Sarandon personally as well as a few of her colleagues and friends (for ReelTalk articles), I already had valuable background material.    

This book would not have been possible without the contributions of many people, including Sarandon fans and  critics. If Diana Saenger and Sandy Scoville hadn't motivated me, I don't think I would have started another book. Chris Baker, who operates the unofficial Susan Sarandon Site, and its frequent contributor Mack Bates, were especially generous with their information. So were Augusto Odone, Alex Friend and Jacqueline Kinlow of The Myelin Project. Photos were donated by J.Nathan Simmons, Claire Folger, Alex Gildzen, Larry Tucker and Augusto Odone. Patrick Sterno contributed one of his caricatures -- Jim Wrenn, a limerick. Routledge Press granted me permission to quote an extract from Alan Lovell's chapter about Sarandon in SCREEN ACTING. Stephanie Berger provided the beautiful picture that Summer Mullins presented so artistically in her dramatic cover design, and I sincerely appreciate Phil Hall's cover blurb about the author. Thanks so much to these folks and everyone else who contributed to or helped with this book -- including my family and friends for their moral support.    

Finally, while working on the Sarandon book, I became aware of the important research being done by The Myelin Project (as featured in Lorenzo's Oil), an organization for which Sarandon serves as spokesperson. Because of the profound impact this had on me, I plan to donate my author royalties to that worthy cause.

For more details about SUSAN SARANDON: A TRUE MAVERICK, go to the Wheatmark Bookstore site.

(Photo: Bryan Kelsen for The Pueblo Chieftain.)