As writers in the Writers Guild of America go into their third week of striking, celebrities are joining the picket lines in solidarity with the creative minds who write the stories driving the entertainment industry. The latest celebrity spotted holding a picket sign? Chris Pine, star of Dungeons and Dragons, Wonder Woman, Star Trek, and more.
WGA members are striking after the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to renew their contract with the WGA, in which the WGA demanded reasonable salaries, sustainable working conditions, and a guarantee that AI wouldn’t be used instead of human writers. The strike began on May 2, after AMPTP failed to meet those demands.
On Monday, Pine was spotted posing with writer and director Patty Jenkins in one of the picket lines. Pine holds a sign reading “SAG-AFTRA [the guild representing actors] Supports WGA.” According to writer Jonterri Gadson, Pine brought empanadas to feed the hungry writers.
Gadson joked that the treats should be called “em-pine-adas.” AMPTP knows that only a skilled writer can come up with a joke so corny and so good. Pay her more!
This is what solidarity looks like. Actors like Pine recognize that, with studios shutting down production instead of paying their writers a fair wage, everyone has a stake in better working conditions for writers. When writers are valued, everyone benefits, both monetarily and creatively. If studios can get away with exploiting writers, then who will they target next? Even if actors’ careers were guaranteed eternal safety from budget cuts and corporate greed, what actor wouldn’t want to work with a script and storyline created by talented writers, instead of AI-produced formulaic dreck?
Kudos to Chris Pine for showing solidarity with the writers who have played such a huge part in furthering his career. We hope the writers enjoyed the empanadas!
(featured image: Paramount Pictures)
