Amanda Seyfried, Jimmy Fallon Show Support for WGA Writers Strike
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Big names from across movies and television are coming together to voice their support for the Writers Guild of America strike, which officially started on Tuesday.
Notable creators speaking out include “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” writers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, “Dopesick” writer and director Danny Strong and “Mrs. Davis” writers and producers Damon Lindelof and Tara Hernandez. Actors are also showing their solidarity, with Elizabeth Olsen, Amanda Seyfried, Brian Tyree Henry and more expressing support for the strike to Variety — some during the Met Gala on Monday night.
On Tuesday, WGA members started picketing in both New York City and Los Angeles, gathering outside of the Peacock NewFronts on Fifth Avenue in NYC and studios in L.A. including Fox, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Paramount Global, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros.
Read the statements from writers, producers, directors and actors below, updating live.
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Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Writers, Producers, Directors)
Image Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety “The guild is being reasonable and fair. Young writers are very vulnerable. Pay is declining as business is growing. The numbers prove it. There is a fair deal to be made. The sooner the studios get serious about making one, the better for all of us.”
-Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Oscar winners for “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
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Charise Castro Smith (Writer, Director)
“I’m feeling the historical gravity of this moment, worried about how this will affect writers and our entire industry. But I’m also proud of our guild’s solidarity and grateful to the negotiating committee for all their hard work. The guild’s proposals are fair and reflect the reality that writers shape culture and deserve to be able to provide for their families. There’s an equity component to the demands, too, because so many young writers of color coming into the industry get boxed out, stuck as staff writers, or forced to do free work. The future of writing as a profession is at stake. My life has been shaped by stories — created by writers. And it’s my job, and I love it, and I want this to keep being a viable career for future generations. Thankfully our union is willing to take a stand, and I hope this can be resolved soon.”
-Charise Castro Smith, writer and co-director of “Encanto” (2021)
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Elizabeth Olsen (Actor, Producer)
Image Credit: Ramona Rosales for Variety “We need to reimagine structurally how people of all levels can continue to make a living now that we have these streaming services. Actors who used to be able to live off residuals — can’t anymore because they get paid for one day. And it goes on a streaming service, and they don’t see a penny after.”
– Elizabeth Olsen, Emmy-nominated actress for “WandaVision”
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Amanda Seyfried (Actor, Producer)
Image Credit: Alexi Lubomirski for Variety “It’s necessary…I don’t get what the problem is. Everything changed with streaming, and everyone should be compensated for their work. It’s fucking easy.”
-Amanda Seyfried, Emmy-winning actress for “The Dropout”
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Damon Lindelof (Writer, Producer)
Image Credit: Dan Doperalski for Variety “I trust the leadership and the members of the negotiating committee, many of whom I stuck within 2007. And I know, personally. Understanding that the studio playbook tends to be how unreasonable and irrational and uneducated about the way the business really works, waiting for those fists to fly. They’re familiar fists. And I don’t think that our leadership nor the members of the Guild are unreasonable or irrational. I think that the business has changed dramatically. And our deal needs to reflect that change. And what we’re asking for is not unreasonable, and we have both the honor and the detriment of going first. I think that the studios know that whatever they give to the Writers Guild, they have to give to SAG and the DGA. I understand that the DGA is going to start its negotiations soon and hopefully, they will support our position. And we’ll be learning a lot in the coming weeks.”
-Damon Lindelof, Emmy winner for “Lost” and “Watchmen”
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John Leguizamo (Actor, Writer, Producer)
Image Credit: Courtesy of NBC News Studios “I stand with all my fellow writers because they deserve what they are asking for and none of it is unreasonable. All the profits are in streaming, and we are not sharing in that wealth. I’m on tenterhooks not knowing what I will do with myself.”
-John Leguizamo, Emmy winner for his self-written variety special “Freak”
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Danny Strong (Writer, Director, Producer)
Image Credit: Dan Doperalski for Variety “The entire media landscape has wildly changed because of streaming. These issues are issues we should have addressed three years ago, but because of the pandemic, the writers graciously agreed not to. Streaming has only taken up a bigger share of the market while the other ancillary and distribution outlets have only gotten smaller…I think the guild is totally resolved in this issue. They view it as an existential moment in the history of writer income.”
-Danny Strong, Emmy winner for “Game Change”
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Brian Tyree Henry (Actor)
Image Credit: Dan Doperalski for Variety “I just hope that everyone is treated equally. I don’t think they get what they deserve and that people listen to them. People strike for a reason.”
-Brian Tyree Henry, Oscar- and Tony-nominated actor for “Causeway” and “Lobby Hero”
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Jimmy Fallon (Host, Writer)
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC/Randy Holmes “Whatever I can do to support the [Writers] Guild…I couldn’t do the show without them. I wouldn’t have a show if it wasn’t for my writers, I support them all the way.”
-Jimmy Fallon, Emmy winner for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”
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Gabriel Luna (Actor, Writer)
Image Credit: FilmMagic for HBO “I stand with the WGA. As they go, we all go, and it is important to remain in stride with our ever-changing business. Increases in compensation and streaming residuals are long overdue, and the success-based model is an adaptation that needs to be made to better realize the worth of our stories. I hope for a swift and fair agreement, but I’m aligned with the Guild for the long haul.”
-Gabriel Luna, “The Last of Us” actor
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Marc Bernardin (Writer)
Image Credit: Rich Polk “I guess my reaction is that no one wanted this. No writer was hungering for a strike. But television is broken, and we’re not the ones who broke it. The studios know it. The writers know it. Everyone knows it. But I guess it falls to us to fix it. And I hope the other guilds who’ve voiced their support for the WGA strike transform that support into action when their contracts expire. We’re stronger together.”
-Marc Bernardin, WGA Award-winning writer of “Castle Rock”
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Reinaldo Marcus Green (Writer, Director, Producer)
“Truthfully I’m conflicted. Who doesn’t want to work? We’re artists. This is our livelihood. We all want to provide for our families, but we want to be assured our work is valued and protected. This is a time for us to come together. Sometimes we need to stand up for ourselves for the collective good. This is one of those times.”
-Reinaldo Marcus Green, writer and director of “Of Monsters and Men” and the untitled Bob Marley biopic
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Rafael Agustín (Writer)
“Hollywood is an industry that runs on stories. Period. There’s nothing without the storytellers. I’m angry because the WGA is inevitably going to win. Still, the AMPTP insisted on stopping an entire industry as opposed to properly compensating the labor force that helps them make billions.”
-Rafael Agustín, writer for “Jane the Virgin”
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Tara Hernandez (Writer, Producer)
Image Credit: Rebecca Brenneman/Peacock via Ge “Based on the insight we got last night when the issues were released, the studios’ position was surprising. Damon and I are privileged in how we work within the writers’ community, but that is not the case for most of our Guild. So, you’re always looking at the impact on those who just made progress in the last couple of years. We’re fighting for the entirety of the Guild — the future of the Guild, and looking at the makeup of our rooms. You’re looking at the opportunities out there, the length and duration of the rooms — that writers don’t have to be writers of privilege to do this job. They’re making enough money to do this work and do it well. We need those voices continuously. I’m always looking at how it will impact once a fair deal has been reached and how that will affect our whole Guild, not just us at the top.”
-Tara Hernandez, writer and producer of “The Big Bang Theory” and “Young Sheldon”
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Abdi Nazemian (Screenwriter, Producer)
Image Credit: YouTube “I’m feeling a mix of sadness and rage. Sad because I want to be doing what I love, which is telling stories. Angry because I’ve watched as corporate greed has slowly and systematically devalued the work of writers and all artists in our society. I’ve been a WGA writer for two decades now, and I’ve seen these changes happen. I believe with all my heart that the arts are one of the most important jobs out there and that artists should be compensated fairly for their work. I also believe that what we’re seeing in Hollywood shouldn’t be covered as an industry issue. We’re seeing work devalued all over the world, in all industries. This is about more than writers. It’s about how we value human labor, it’s about the truly alarming rise in wealth disparity, it’s about keeping unions strong so we can revitalize our middle class, and it’s about standing up to corporate greed, which impacts everyone everywhere these days. At their best, the arts guide us closer to empathy and oneness. That’s what our industry should represent and stand for, and it’s what almost all of the writers I know stand for.”
-Abdi Nazemian, writer of the TV series “Ordinary Joe”
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Liv Hewson (Actor, Writer)
Image Credit: Dan Doperalski for Variety “I’m in support of the WGA to those that bemoan the strike, I would say — well, give writers what they need in order to make a safe and sustainable living, then. Strikes happen for a reason, and the near-unanimous authorization vote tells me that change is necessary. I hope their demands are met, and soon.”
-Liv Hewson, “Yellowjackets” actor and playwright
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