2023-09-19 15:34:20
On September 10, the actress announced her intention to resume filming her show, “The Drew Barrymore Show” but, under fire from critics accusing her of not being in solidarity with the ongoing strikes in Hollywood, she returned on his decision Monday September 18.
It’s been more than four months since American screenwriters have been on strike and more than a month and a half since the actors joined them, bringing the Hollywood industry to a virtual standstill. This time spent away from the sets and filming must seem long to some, who have tried to return to the air, defying the strict rules of the unions and attracting the ire of the screenwriters and the public who support them.
Drew Barrymore is one of those celebrities who tried to bend the rules of the writers’ strike la Writers Guild of America (WGA), the union representing them, announcing last week its intention to film a new season of its show, which was to be broadcast from Monday September 18. Since 2020, the actress has hosted The Drew Barrymore, a daily talk show broadcast on CBS. The channel is owned by Paramount, one of the members of the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP), the industrial grouping of the largest Hollywood studios engaged in a union standoff with screenwriters since May. WGA screenwriters have therefore no longer been allowed to write for CBS since the start of the strike.
Tense filming
When she announced on September 10, on social networks, the return of her show, Drew Barrymore assured that the new season would be “in accordance” with the rules of the WGA and the Screen Actor Guild, the striking actors’ union. since July 14. She clarifies that her show will not use writers and “will not perform writing work covered by the WGA strike rules.”
Impossible, according to the WGA which explained on X (formerly Twitter): “The Drew Barrymore Show is a show under contract with the WGA, on strike, which plans to make its return without its writers. The Guild has, and will continue to, protest programs that are produced during the strike. Any writing done for Drew Barrymore is in violation of WGA strike rules.” Drew Barrymore then finds herself accused of being a strikebreaker (scab, literally crust in English) and of playing the game of the studios, which have sought to divide union members since the beginning of the movement. The same day, two other talk shows, The Jennifer Hudson Show and The Talk, also announced their return – drawing the same criticism from the WGA.
After a week of filming in tense conditions, during which disgruntled writers staged daily pickets outside the studios and audience members were ejected for wearing pins with messages of support for the WGA, Drew Barrymore s is expressed again on the situation. In a now-deleted Instagram video, the teary-eyed actress explained “taking ownership of this decision.” The talk show host tried to justify herself: “I made this decision because, as I said before, it’s bigger than me and there are jobs in danger”
Apologies on Instagram
His explanation did not convince social networks, which continued to condemn his decision to return to the air. While the WGA writers led the charge, they were joined by people outside the Hollywood industry who supported the strike movement. According to a Hollywood Report poll in August, 72% of Americans support writers and actors against studios. More broadly, according to a Gallup poll, 67% of Americans support unions and their actions, its highest level since the 1970s. The screenwriters’ strike was only the first of the “hot strike summer”, followed not only by actors, but also hotel workers, Starbucks baristas and, most recently, automobile industry workers.
Finally, Drew Barrymore posted a message on Instagram on Sunday to apologize, and above all to announce that his show will ultimately not be broadcast before the end of the strike. The actress also renewed her support for the movement. In the process, The Jennifer Hudson Show and The Talk also indicated that they would not resume, in support of the WGA.
At this stage, no resolution to the Hollywood strikes is in sight. Screenwriters and actors are demanding an increase in their residual rights on productions made for streaming and guarantees regarding the use of artificial intelligence during the production of films and series. The AMPTP rejects these demands, and discussions between the two parties have come to a standstill. Last week, the WGA announced a return to the negotiating table, which is expected to take place this week. The union, engaged in its longest strike since 1980, described the movement as “existential” for the future of the entertainment industry, and should therefore be more intransigent against the studios.
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