The strikes for the performers of SAG-AFTRA and writers of the WGA are still very much underway. This week, efforts ramped up across the country for these workers to have their voices heard. In New York City, there have been two rallies—one in Times Square and one at the New York offices of NBCUniversal, Netflix, and Warner Bros.—this week alone, and they’ve been big events with actors we know and love talking about their upset with the studios.
There were speeches from those we know like Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston, who called out Disney CEO Bob Iger’s comments about the strikes, saying, “I know, sir, that you look (at) things through a different lens,” Cranston said. “We don’t expect you to understand who we are. But we ask you to hear us, and beyond that to listen to us when we tell you we will not be having our jobs taken away and given to robots. We will not have you take away our right to work and earn a decent living. And lastly, and most importantly, we will not allow you to take away our dignity.”
The increase of popular celebrities taking to the strikes is important, not because it’s a meet and greet but because these stars attract media coverage and push the messaging of the strikes out. The bigger the spectacle, the more that we’re talking about them. It’s like when Mike Massa (Harrison Ford’s stunt double) caught himself on fire to make a point about how the studio has treated him.
The strikes are so incredibly important because they’re fighting not only for the money they rightfully deserve, but also against the rising tide of AI and the studios desire to use it to their advantage while taking advantage of their human workers in order to do so. They’re not listening though and we keep getting more celebrities out on the picket lines.
Twitter loves Colin Farrell’s look
In Los Angeles on July 26, Colin Farrell took to the picket lines himself. It’s nice to see stars like Farrell, his friend Shea Whigham (who was just in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One), and stars like Michael Shannon and Tituss Burgess come out to support the strike, not only because the demand for better treatment applies to everyone (especially in the fight against AI), but because they’re showing support for actors who don’t make millions from their roles and are struggling to make ends meet.
Farrell’s strike look has made the artist formerly known as Twitter swoon, and it’s very nice to see everyone talking about the picket lines, even if it’s because Farrell looks very hot. To me though, he does look like every high school girl attending spirit week. I can say this because I did look like this my senior year during our field day.
All of this just shows that actors and writers are out there supporting each other, standing on the picket lines, and making sure that this strike doesn’t just fade away like the studios want.
(featured image: Hollywood To You/Star Max/GC Images)
