Susan Sarandon's Spin on Business

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed)
Jan 2nd 2011 at 6:01PM

It was a direct trip from Miami to Marrakech, where she had been promoting her ping pong club Spin at the international art fair. From a black rubber-covered ping pong table to another one in the middle of a swimming pool, Susan Sarandon had her first taste of Art Basel. "Miami's a little too happening for me," she explained, begrudgingly remembering the over-aggressive paparazzi. "I couldn't even go to Art Basel," she said with the paparazzi popping around every corner. "It took a lot of energy to be calm. They didn't know how to do their job. Usually they stop after awhile."

Things were a bit more relaxed in Marrakech, where Sarandon was brought to honor friend Harvey Keitel at the International Film Festival. Dressed in a relaxed black blouse, and wearing a safety pin as an earring her daughter had given to her, Sarandon admired the gorgeous library setting of the Royal Mansour, the King's recently opened hotel palace, rumored to be one of the most luxurious hotels in the world. From what we saw of it, it was hard to argue. We spoke to Ms. Sarandon in the library of the hotel, an intimate oak-paneled room, where the paneled-ceiling open up just in case a guest desired to read under the night's stars.

It was Sarandon's third time in Morocco, and second time at the festival, where she herself was honored in 2006. "I love the food, the people, the music," she said, "everything about it."

While continuing with acting roles here and there, Sarandon's real passion lately seems to be running a business. With Spin clubs already in New York, Milan and L.A., Sarandon has plans to open clubs in Berlin, London, and a larger club in Westwood, she told Luxist. "We've been talking about Marrakech now. Because we were at dinner and all these people were like, well I play in team Morocco." There's no doubt ping pong is a huge conversation starter for Sarandon. "I was saying it's kind of like a tattoo. When you show your tattoo everyone starts undressing to show you theirs." They've even been approached by a huge cruise ship line to bring the Spin concept to cruise ships.

The magic of Sarandon's club is that it presents a vibe for people who want to hang out and play leisurely, and also for those who play professionally. She admits that running a business on a shoestring budget is challenging, especially since she knew nothing about business. "But I've always considered myself in the service industry," she said. "I feel like when I'm at my club, I know everyone who works there," she said, comparing herself to Miss Kitty in Gunsmoke. "I like it when people come in and when they're leaving they say I had a great time."

Sarandon admits no other aspirations for new businesses in the near future. But one bug she has caught is the documentary bug, something that within the last year has been a major source of inspiration for the actress, from telling big stories with small cameras to simply discovering the little coincidences in life. Sarandon would ultimately like to direct and is waiting to find a story to tell. For now, she's keeping happy overseeing a documentary about what else, her club, and the characters that now make up her daily life.

My trip to Marrakech was sponsored by the FIFM, but the opinions in this story are my own.

Tags: marrakech film festival, susan sarandon