2023-07-28 16:59:00
Film industry in a state of emergency The nanny, the boss and the rock: three heads that matter in the Hollywood strike
US actor Dwayne Johnson at the 95th Academy Awards. The Rock donated a “historic” sum to the union’s foundation
© Frederic J. Brown / AFP
Screenwriters have been on strike in the US for some time. The actors have been there for two weeks now – and Hollywood is largely paralyzed. The fronts seem hardened and the strike could drag on – also because of these three prominent participants.
The actors had joined the scriptwriters who had been on strike since the beginning of May after negotiations with the Association of TV and Film Studios AMPTP failed to reach an agreement. Both unions are demanding, among other things, better remuneration and regulation of the use of artificial intelligence in the industry. The association AMPTP emphasized that during the negotiations an offer worth billions had been made, which the other side had rejected. The double strike has largely paralyzed the industry in the USA, with few exceptions, films and series can hardly be shot.
The fronts seem hardened. When asked how long the strike could last, cast member negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said he “couldn’t rule out” January or February either. So far, these three prominent figures have made the headlines of the strike:
The “Nanny”: strike leader Fran Drescher
The sitcom “The Nanny” made Fran Drescher world famous. Between 1993 and 1999 she played an unusual nanny in the series – with huge teased hair, a biting wit and a cutting voice. Drescher celebrated success with it worldwide and was nominated for several prizes. After that, Drescher, who was born in New York in 1957, mainly got smaller roles. Privately, she had to accept numerous strokes of fate, including cancer.
But now the 65-year-old is back in the spotlight in a completely different role: Drescher has been in charge of the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA since 2021 and has now led the members on strike. She didn’t actually aspire to this post, but was asked and then agreed after some deliberation, Drescher told the Washington Post. With the strike, however, she now feels as if she has been called to a “heroic path”.
The actress has been taking to the streets with the strikers every day since the strikes began – and she plans to run for re-election as union president in September.
labor union
Hollywood stands still: These acting stars support the strike
There Boss: Disney CEO Bob Iger
Actually, longtime Disney boss Bob Iger was already retired. But in late 2022, the entertainment giant brought him back. Iger now wants to radically rebuild Disney and even questions staying in the classic TV business. The double strike is getting in the way of the 72-year-old – and so far he has not presented himself as a mediator, as many had hoped, but as a rumbler.
Iger said in an interview that he was disappointed with the actors. Their demands are simply “not realistic” and would bring the already ailing industry even further into trouble. All of this is “very disturbing”.
The statements hardened the fronts. A “terrible, terrible, not at all good PR week”, the “Hollywood Reporter” then attested to the millionaire earner, and many actors and actresses publicly expressed their anger. For example, acting star Cranston announced a “message to Mr. Iger” during the strike in Times Square: “I know that you see things through different glasses. We don’t expect you to understand who we are. But we ask you for listening to us when we say we won’t let robots take our jobs.”
The Rock: Major Donor Dwayne Johnson
The strike costs money – and many participants are losing income in the meantime. That called in ex-wrestler and acting star Dwayne Johnson. Johnson said he gave the union’s foundation a “historic” sum. The sum was seven digits, more details would not be given, it said. Johnson himself initially did not comment on this. The 51-year-old is one of the highest-paid actors in the world and became known, among other things, with the “Fast & Furious” series.
yks / Christina Horsten DPA
#Subjects
#Strike #Hollywood #people #matter