'An inflection point in our industry: George Clooney speaks out in support of SAG-AFTRA strike
George Clooney, Jamie Lee Curtis, Cynthia Nixon and Josh Gad are among the stars to speak out in support of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
George Clooney believes the SAG-AFTRA strike will be a major turning point in Hollywood's history.
The 'Burn After Reading' star thinks the vote for members of the actor's union - which was called amid concerns over wages for actors and creators in the industry alike, AI technology, and how the profits of digital streaming on services such as Netflix and Disney+ can be divided - to down tools is vital in order to force change so the filmmaking business can "survive".
He said in a statement given to 'Entertainment Tonight': "This is an inflection point in our industry.
"Actors and writers in large numbers have lost their ability to make a living. For our industry to survive that has to change. For actors that journey starts now."
The decision marks the first time actors and writers - whose union WGA have been on the picket line since 2 May - have been on strike at the same time since 1960.
And George, 62, isn't the only actor to speak out in support of the industrial action.
'And Just Like That' star Cynthia Nixon is "proud" to be involved in the strike.
She posted to her Instagram Story, "The @sagaftra strike has at last arrived. I am proud to be standing with the @WGAWest and @WGAEast as actors and writers together demand a fair share of the record-breaking profits the studios have been reaping from our labor for far too long. We will win this!"
Jamie Lee Curtis shared a statement alongside a series of photos of her pulling various expressions when she was guest starring on 'The Bear'.
She wrote on Instagram: "The @sagaftra symbol used to be the masks of the actors face.
"REPRESENTING the EXPRESSIONS. The EMOTIONS. The FEELINGS generated by the WORDS of their UNION MEMBERS! Union contracts PROTECT our SAFETY and EXPLOITATION! We are UNION STRONG!"
And Josh Gad offered a lengthy explanation as to why Hollywood has been moved to strike.
He wrote on his own Instagram account: "This is the first SAG strike since I was 5 years old. The last time ANY screen actors went on strike was 23 years ago during a commercials dispute with AFTRA performers. The fundamental point is it just doesn’t happen, unless it is glaringly necessary.
"That does not mean it doesn’t hurt many people in the process. My heart breaks for everyone who is directly affected by the WGA and SAG work stoppage. This is not the way any of us in either of these guilds wanted this summer to go.
"In fact, at a time in which we are coming off of essentially a two-year work stoppage because of a global pandemic, the thing writers and actors want the most right now is to get back to work. But the fundamentals of these core issues are now existential. This isn’t about greed. This is about right versus wrong when it comes to being paid fairly for the seismic shifts that have taken place in the streaming era.
"Furthermore, as we stand on the precipice of the uncertainty of what AI can represent to all of us in this industry and beyond, it is imperative that we ensure we are protected against the inevitability of the cost savings and ease of use that this seismic technology represents to these corporate entities.
"I hope that, for the sake of our entire industry, and the above the line and below the line folks who are being adversely affected, that these issues can be resolved sooner rather than later. [prayer emojis]"
