For Susan Sarandon, a New Day Dawns

Victor Garber and Susan Sarandon in "The Big C." — David M. Russell/Showtime

Keeping busy, from politics to ping-pong

Sarandon’s activities are diverse.  She has traveled to Cambodia with her daughter, 27-year-old actress Eva Amurri, to help a friend who is working to rescue young girls from human traffickers.  Her political activism is as strong as ever.  Sons Jack Henry, 22, and Miles, a 19-year-old student at Brown, still have space at the family home.  Their changes are ongoing, too. "Now I have to deal with the next kind of transitions that I haven't dealt with before, so that keeps things fresh," she says.

And then there is her venture into the business world as a ping-pong club entrepreneur with 34-year-old partner Jonathan Bricklin, who is widely believed to be her romantic interest, something she's never come out and confirmed.  She refers to their relationship as "collaborators" and leaves it at that.

The first SPiN table tennis club opened in New York, and there are now locations in Milwaukee and Toronto.  A downtown L.A. club is coming, Miami and Chicago clubs are in the works, and "we have interest in Austin, Portland and San Francisco," Sarandon says. She reportedly donated $98,500 to fund table tennis programs in New York City schools, and is a big believer in the game’s stress-relieving and attention-focusing benefits for kids.

"I really love that the clubs have become an instrument that revitalizes the idea of ping-pong," she says. "Back in the old days, table tennis was really a big thing in the United States, and there are so many things to recommend it. It's one of those games you can play until you're old-old-old."

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