Chris Sarandon almost quit acting after working with Michael Winner

Chris Sarandon once nearly quit acting.

The Oscar nominee, 83, revealed in a new interview with The Guardian that he almost walked away from the movie industry because of his experience working with late director Michael Winner on the 1977 horror film “The Sentinel.”

“Michael Winner. Don’t get me started. I almost quit the business after that movie,” Sarandon said.

The “Dog Day Afternoon” actor called Winner “malevolent” and said the British filmmaker was unpleasant to work with.

Sarandon also noted that “The Sentinel,” based on Jeffrey Konvitz’s 1974 novel, completely flopped.

“That was one of those decisions when one thinks, ‘Oh, my name’s above the title and I’m being offered a ridiculous amount of money. And why not play a leading man?’” Sarandon recalled. “So what if, halfway through the movie, my face cracks and I’ve become a demon? Or whatever the plot was – I’ve repressed it at this point.”

Winner died in 2013 at age 77.

He also directed the first three “Death Wish” movies, the World War II comedy “Hannibal Brooks,” the hitman thriller “The Mechanic,” and more.

A few years after his death, Winner was accused of sexual misconduct by several women, including Sarandon’s “The Sentinel” co-star Nana Visitor.

Elsewhere in his interview with The Guardian, Sarandon looked back on his marriage to Susan Sarandon, which lasted from 1967 to 1979.

“We were both really young,” he recalled. “I think we had, as everyone does, unreasonable expectations about what life could be like, nor did we have any idea of what would happen to both of us, in terms of our careers and our personal lives.”

Speaking about their amicable split, Sarandon said: “In fact, we used the same lawyer for our divorce, but her life and my life just diverged.”

Susan, for her part, kept Sarandon’s last name after their divorce. She spoke about that decision in an interview with The Times last year.

“He was a very kind man and he kept me alive, you know, so I’m happy to have that name,” the “Thelma & Louise” actress, 78, said.

The exes have remained on good terms over the years. Susan even appeared live on stage with her ex-husband in 2023 to discuss their romance.

“When I met Chris, I thought and correctly so, that he knew everything because he took me to black and white movies and introduced me to literature and basically saved my life actually with his kindness,” she told the crowd.

She turned to Sarandon and stated: “I credit you with my foundation and my survival. One of the reasons I’m here is just to publicly say that.”